House postpones vote on Take Care of America’s Veterans Act

A bill that would reduce future disability ratings by nearly $60 billion over a decade to fund expanded compensation for veterans hit a procedural roadblock on Thursday.

The House of Representatives postponed a planned vote on the Take Care of America's Veterans Act, a package comprising more than 60 legislative proposals. The delay came after an effort to send the bill back to the Veterans Affairs Committee failed by a single vote. No information was immediately available on when the bill might come up for a vote again.

This is the second delay for the legislation; a previous vote expected last month was also postponed.

Key Provisions of the Bill

The Take Care of America's Veterans Act would implement a previously proposed 2022 rule change regarding how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) assesses disability ratings for two conditions:

• Sleep apnea: Currently eligible for a standalone 30% disability rating. The bill would replace this with a new scale of 0 to 100% based on "the effectiveness of medical treatment and intervention."
• Tinnitus: Currently eligible for a 10% disability rating. The bill would reclassify it as a symptom of an underlying condition such as hearing loss or traumatic brain injury.

Financial Impact

The VA has estimated that changes to tinnitus and sleep apnea ratings could reduce disability compensation payments by $57 billion over 10 years. Under the bill, those savings would be redirected to fund other legislative proposals in the package, including the Major Richard Star Act, which would allow combat-wounded veterans with fewer than 20 years of service to collect both disability compensation and retirement pay.

VA's Independent Action

The vote postponement came after Politico reporter Leo Shane III shared on social media Thursday that the VA plans to make the rating changes on its own, without waiting for congressional action.

When asked about the post, a VA spokesperson told Task & Purpose: "We intend to continue moving forward with the audiology rulemaking originally put forward on this subject."

This statement appears to contradict earlier remarks from Quinn Slaven, the department's press secretary, who told Task & Purpose in June that "no changes are planned or imminent" regarding the proposed 2022 rule change. Slaven noted the proposal had received extensive public comments and "would need to undergo significant changes prior to being finalized."

Divided Veteran Service Organizations

The bill has sharply split veterans advocacy groups:

Supporters

More than 20 veterans service organizations sent a letter to the chairmen of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees supporting the bill. They argued that if the VA passes the proposed rule independently, all savings would go to the U.S. Treasury instead of funding expanded veterans benefits.

"Given that reality, we believe the practical question before Congress is whether this process should continue so these resources can be reinvested in veterans, caregivers, families, and survivors, or whether the opportunity to enact this package is lost while unresolved funding questions remain," the advocates wrote.

Opponents

Disabled American Veterans (DAV) opposes the bill. In a statement released Wednesday, the group argued the legislation calls for cuts to future disability benefits that would far outweigh any additional compensation it could provide.

Jim Marszalek, DAV's executive director, said the latest news about the VA's decision has not shifted the organization's position.

"There were overwhelming comments in opposition made to the proposed rules," Marszalek told Task & Purpose. "VA has to consider those, which is why a VA spokesperson said if they did move forward there would have to be 'significant changes' to the proposals."

Lawmaker's Defense

Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.), chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said he has worked for months with his Senate counterpart to produce legislation that is "both fiscally responsible and can make it to the president's desk and become law."

"The changes the Take Care of America's Veterans Act makes for two conditions: sleep apnea and tinnitus, are based on modern medicine, effective treatment, and recommendations from VA's own doctors," Bost said in a statement to Task & Purpose. "The bill does not..."