Combat-Injured Veterans’ Retirement Pay Uncertain as House Passes Competing Bills in Funding Fight

Two House bills advance

On Thursday, the House approved a multibillion-dollar bill to fully fund a key retirement benefit for veterans with combat-related disabilities. The vote was 392 to 18, with all Democrats and 181 Republicans supporting the measure.

The narrower bill, forced to the floor by Democrats, omits cuts to other veterans’ benefits. Its path through Congress remains uncertain because of a dispute over funding.

Republican plan proposes cuts

Republican leaders advanced a competing measure on Wednesday, before Democrats could try to defeat it. Called the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, it covers the retirement-pay change and a broader range of veterans programs. The package would pay for those provisions through future cuts to benefits for sleep apnea and tinnitus, conditions that often affect combat veterans.

Senators differ on funding

Both measures face significant hurdles in the Senate. Senator Jerry Moran, Republican of Kansas and chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said he supported the Republican-led package. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, the committee’s senior Democrat, said he could not support the proposed benefit cuts.

Cost of retirement change

At the heart of the dispute is the Maj. Richard Star Act. It would let veterans who retired because of combat-related disabilities receive their full retirement pay, rather than having it reduced dollar-for-dollar by disability benefits under current law.

Veterans groups have long pressed lawmakers to pass the act, but its cost has repeatedly drawn concern. The Congressional Budget Office recently estimated the cost at about $12.8 billion over a decade.