House approves bill to boost compensation for many veterans, with some floor drama

The House of Representatives approved a major package of veterans bills on Veterans Day, but the process was marked by confusion and controversy. The primary focus of the legislation is to increase compensation for approximately 58,000 veterans who receive medical retirement due to combat-related injuries. While this measure enjoys broad bipartisan support, there is disagreement on how to achieve it.

The current law stipulates that combat-injured veterans with less than 20 years of service must give up a portion of their military retirement pay when they also receive disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Democrats and Republicans are attempting to alter this so that those retirees receive the full amount of their injury compensation along with their military retirement pay.

This change would result in an average monthly increase of around $1,450 for affected veterans, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Republicans attempted to fund the increased compensation by altering the rating for conditions like tinnitus or sleep apnea, which would lead to a reduction in disability compensation for future veterans.

Democrats vehemently opposed this trade-off, deeming it detrimental to veterans. The House voted on the bill by voice vote, with Republicans supporting it and Democrats opposing it. Democrats plan to vote on the Democratic bill dealing with the issue on Thursday.