House Passes Veterans Package With Disputed Benefit Cuts
The House approved a broad veterans bill on Veterans Day, November 11, including a proposal to let an estimated 58,000 combat-injured military retirees receive their full military retirement pay alongside Department of Veterans Affairs disability compensation. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the change would increase compensation by an average of about $1,450 a month for those affected.
To help cover the cost, the bill would direct the VA to change disability-rating rules for sleep apnea and tinnitus. Under the proposal, a CPAP machine alone would no longer qualify a sleep apnea claimant for a 50 percent rating, and tinnitus generally could no longer receive its own compensable rating. The revisions would cover claims submitted starting October 1, 2026, including certain claims submitted earlier but still pending when the bill is enacted. Compensation already in effect before enactment would be protected from reductions under these revisions.
Democrats objected to financing new benefits for some veterans by limiting benefits for others. The House vote was conducted by voice, without a recorded tally. Democratic Rep. Mark Takano said the minority had no chance to request one, while Veterans of Foreign Wars leader Cory Geisler criticized lawmakers for not recording each member’s position.
The bill has not become law; it still needs Senate approval and the president’s signature. A separate Democratic bill, which does not include offsets, is expected to receive a House vote on November 12. If it passes, the Senate could choose between the measures or take up neither, leaving the issue for a future Congress.
House Republicans Tie Veterans’ Retirement Pay to Future Benefit Cuts
A long-sought increase for combat-injured retirees came bundled with new limits on other veterans’ benefits as the House approved a Republican-backed package on Veterans Day. The measure would let an estimated 58,000 medically retired veterans with fewer than 20 years of service receive both military retirement pay and VA disability compensation, adding about $1,450 a month on average.
But the bill would also narrow eligibility for higher sleep apnea ratings and generally end separate compensation for tinnitus. A CPAP machine alone would no longer qualify a claimant for a 50 percent sleep apnea rating. The revisions would cover claims submitted starting October 1, 2026, including certain claims submitted earlier but still pending when the bill is enacted, while protecting compensation already in effect before enactment.
Democrats said veterans should not have to lose potential benefits so another group can receive an increase. The package passed by voice vote, with no recorded tally. Rep. Mark Takano said Democrats did not have an opportunity to seek one, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars criticized the absence of a public record of lawmakers’ positions.
The bill still needs Senate approval and the president’s signature. Democrats are expected to bring forward a separate bill on November 12 that includes the retirement-pay change without offsets. The House vote leaves the Senate to decide which approach, if either, advances.
House Advances Long-Delayed Pay Increase for Combat-Injured Veterans
The House moved forward with a major increase for combat-injured veterans, approving a package on Veterans Day that would let eligible retirees collect military retirement pay and VA disability compensation without surrendering part of their retirement pay. The change could reach about 58,000 veterans, with an average increase of roughly $1,450 a month.
The package’s funding approach has drawn Democratic opposition. It would revise future disability ratings for sleep apnea and tinnitus, including ending the general availability of a separate compensable tinnitus rating and requiring more than use of a CPAP machine for a 50 percent sleep apnea rating. The revisions would cover claims submitted starting October 1, 2026, including certain claims submitted earlier but still pending when the bill is enacted, but would not reduce compensation already in effect before enactment.
The House approved the bill by voice vote, without recording how each member voted. Republicans said it had passed under the House’s normal procedure; Democrats argued they had no opportunity to demand a recorded vote. The Veterans of Foreign Wars also criticized the lack of a public tally.
The measure still faces Senate approval and must be signed by the president. A Democratic alternative without offsets is expected to come to a House vote on November 12. The Senate could select either measure or advance neither, but the House has taken a step toward ending the reduction in retirement pay for combat-injured veterans.
Reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Newsweek.
