Transcription
Hey, thanks for making it to Veterans Info. I'm glad you made it. There is huge news out there. And if you're reading this stuff and you're not fully aware of what is going on, it can be extremely disturbing. I'm going to jump into I'm going to do a few videos on this specific topic because I think it warrants it. Uh, there's so many moving pieces. There's so many things out there. First, I'm going to read you the headline. Then I'm going to read you the name of the bill. Then we're going to read through the article and I'm going to share with you some insights along the way and see what you think.
All right, so here's the headline. Veteran bill would cut disability benefits, Democrat says. This just came out June 11th, 2026. Sharing it with you here today. The name of the bill, you might ask, is the Take Care of America's Veterans Act. It's HR 9237 and Senate Bill S4744. Those are the two bills uh on both the House and the Senate side, the Take Care of America's Veterans Act. It sounds great until you read this headline from Newsweek. And it makes you wonder, wow, this is starting to sound kind of like the Sher Brryley and Eric Edmonson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act, where great things are happening, but on the back of veterans. Veterans are the ones who are paying for that piece of legislation to move through. So, what are we seeing here? Are we seeing the same sort of situation? I'm going to read through it and I'll tell you this. You will be probably a bit surprised and I'm going to give you my thoughts along the way uh here. Stick with me. It's a little bit long. It's going to be it's going to be long gr but I'm going to try to just read through it and give you my my thoughts. All right? So, hit the thumbs up, subscribe, share with a friend, all that good stuff. I really appreciate it.
And just here's the here's the key takeaway. Two things. Things are not getting any easier. They are not. They will not they will not be easier in the years to come uh than they are today to get properly rated um in today's rating schedule world. Take advantage of our free review. Link is in the description. Link is in the comments. Click on it. Free review. You'll get a good idea on if you have a path to 100% or or even more into the SMC schedule. The other piece is if you already know that maybe evidence, medical evidence is the hurdle. Reach out to my friends at AM, American Medical Experts. They're board certified doctors. It's no different than you going to a different doctor um to to work with you. What's that doctor going to want? Your medical records. They're going to review them. They're going to have an appointment with you. They're going to talk with you. Then they're going to develop that evidence. Free consultation from AM. Their information is in the description as well.
All right, so let's jump into this. Again, the headline, veterans bill would cut disability benefit uh disability benefits. Democrat says a sweeping benefits veterans benefits package moving through Congress is drawing criticism from veterans organizations and Democratic lawmakers. So already your sounding is, oh my gosh, the alarms are going off. Even the veteran service organizations are concerned. At the center of the debate is the Take Care of America's Veterans Act, a broad legis legislative package that includes the bipartisan Major Richard Star Act, a long sought measure designed to end a financial penalty affecting thousands of medically retired combat veterans. Supporters say the proposal would correct a long-standing injustice. Critics argue it does so by offsetting the cost through changes to disability ratings for conditions such as tonitis and sleep apnea.
All right, so let's back up a second here. This is where it already starts to get a little bit dicey. Number one, the Major Richard Star Act. This is really uh a piece of legislation aimed at correcting that injustice for disabled combat injured veterans who were forced to medically retire. Not medically discharged, just medically retire, different category. They've served long enough to warrant a retirement, but they cannot collect uh any of their VA disability compensation without offsetting it with their retirement. So, if they have $2,000 of retirement and $2,000 of VA disability compensation, it's a wash. You you get $2,000 of VA disability compensation and $0 of your retirement. So, this would end that and allow those individuals to collect both. That's kind of it in a nutshell.
Now, the second part is it's interesting to me, and this is where I'm going to start getting irritated, that they're calling out tonitis and sleep apnea. Critics argue it does so by offsetting the cost through changes to disability ratings for conditions such as tonitis and sleep apnnea. If you have watched me for any amount of time, you know that I have been talking about and raising the alarm on these final VA rating schedule changes. The proposal went in, I don't even remember, three years ago or so, and it is in process and it will go into effect. According to the VA, they said it should be implemented by the end of the fiscal year this year, which is the end of September 2026. Will it happen then? Don't know. Maybe some maybe by the end of the year. Who knows? Bottom line is is that tonitis and sleep apnnea are two of the major changes in those rating schedule proposed changes. in the auditory rating schedule and in the respiratory rating schedule. So, these things are already happening. It makes me think, and we'll read through this more. So, so bear with me here. We're going to read through it more and see if I'm wrong, but this makes me think, oh, somebody actually got smart and said, "Hey, guess what, Congress? The VA is changing tonitis and sleep apnea rating schedules and going to save a boatload of money. We should take that boatload of money that the VA will be saving on these rating schedule changes and offset the Major Richard Star Act and other provisions with that money. Feels like a shell game, but it's smart. That is a smart move because guess what? The rating schedule changes are happening whether or not this piece of legislation goes through. So again, things are not getting easier, they're getting more difficult. Take advantage of the free review. Take advantage of the free consultation um respectively.
All right. So a political a politically sensitive tradeoff. I'll read for a little bit here. If enacted, the Major Richard Star Act would allow roughly 54,000 combat wounded veterans to receive both their full military retirement pay and their disability compensation without reductions. Advocates estimate affected veterans could receive an average increase of about $1,200 per month. But opponents say the broader package includes provisions that could reduce future disability benefits for a much larger group of veterans, creating a politically sensitive tradeoff within the veterans benefit system. Again, look, I'm just I'm just a guy that's paying attention. The VA has proposed rating schedule changes for auditory and respiratory. And in there, they say they're going to eliminate tonitis as a standalone ratable condition. The only real carve out is if you have a non-compensible a zero hearing loss rating with tonitis, then you can get a 10%. And on sleep apnnea, in the event that you are deemed adequately treated, even with a CPAP, you're getting a 0%. These are the changes that are in process now and according to the VA will be implemented by the end of the fiscal year 2026 the end of September. Here we are. So I don't know what they're talking about here like this is some new thing. These things are happening regardless. Let's move on and make sure that we're not off track.
What the Major Richard Star Act would do under current law. Any veterans. This makes me feel like the Major Richard Star Act is the is the biggest dollar package inside this broader package. Right? So that's why they're hyperfocused on it. Under current law, many veterans who are medically retired, again, retired, not discharged, retired because of a combat related injury, face a dollar for-dollar reduction in their military retirement pay based on the disability compensation they receive from the Department of Veterans Affairs. In some cases, the offset effectively eliminates retirement pay entirely. The Major Richard Star Act would eliminate that offset for eligible veterans, allowing them to receive both benefits in full. The legislation is named after Richard Star, a career Army reser who served 32 years and completed nine. That's a lot. Combat deployments. After developing stage 4 lung cancer linked to burn pit exposure, Star was medically retired before reaching the service threshold required for full retirement benefits and lost a portion of the compensation he believed he had earned. His case became a rallying point for veterans advocates pushing for reform.
Where the controversy begins. Okay, so you know kind of where I'm thinking this is. I'm thinking this is probably a smart play. The VA is changing the rating schedules negatively for tonitis and sleep apnea. They're going to be saving a ton of money moving forward. Why not capitalize on that today and say that's our offset? Seems to me like a power play. Smart. Let's move on and see what they say. Critics say the legislation's benefits expansion is being financed through the proposed changes to disability ratings for certain medical conditions. Richard Blumenthal and the disabled American veterans argue that the package could ultimately reduce future compensation for veterans suffering from tenitis and sleep apnea. Blumenthal has described the proposal as containing up to 57 billion in cuts, while DAV says as many as$ 1.5 million veterans could be affected by the changes over time. There's a quotation correcting this injustice for combat injured veterans should not be done without depri should be done without depriving other veterans of benefits they need and deserve. Blumenthal said, "Look, I agree. I agree. That's why I'm against veterans having to pay for the Sher Bryley and Eric Edmonson B veterans Benefits Expansion Act. I'm also against changing the rating schedule for tonitis and for sleep apnea. But, you know, there's a whole boatload of doctors and uh who knows who else that help the VA decipher how impactful things are. And so to get that rating schedule change momentum to go a different route is probably unlikely. The VA is going to move forward and implement the change just like they did recently, well recently whatever two years ago or whatever with the digestive system rating schedule and completely upended the GIRD rating schedule and really in my opinion did a disservice for veterans with GIRD. They made it way more stricter by focusing on esophageal stricter whatever. So this is frustrating because look to say correcting this injustice for combat injured veterans should be done without depriving other veterans of benefits they need and deserve implies that you shouldn't take away tonitis or sleep apnea ratings from veterans. Meanwhile, where's the commentary about the rating schedule change that's actually changing that today? Like that's in process now. There is none. And I'm just surprised the DAV is in there um as well saying this on this because what about the rating schedule change? The Connecticut Democrat argued that if lawmakers insist on finding funding offsets, the money should come from the Department of Defense rather than the changes rather than from changes to veterans disability programs. Again, the rating schedule changes are happening regardless of this bill. Regardless of this bill, regardless of it, the rating schedule changes are going into effect. There are 15 rating schedules. I think 11 of them have been changed. The most recent full change was the digestive system. The last four are auditory, respiratory, neurological, and mental health. Those are the last four and those are happening. So, they're acting like there is no change coming unless they know something I do not. Um, which I I just can't see it being anything other than what we've already seen and witnessed. the rating schedule changes will most likely be very similar to the actual proposals. It's the way it is.
So, a workable funding path for veterans. Republicans backing the legislation reject claims that the proposal amounts to benefit cuts, arguing instead that it provides a workable funding path for longstalled veterans reform. Senate Senator Jerry Moran, chair of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs and sponsor of the Take Care of America's Veterans Act, said some lawmakers want the bill to pass without any offsets of the cost, any offsets of the cost. However, he argued that this has not been a viable route for legislation in recent years. For five years under Republican and Democratic leadership, the Major Richard Star Act has been unable to pass either House or the Senate in significant part due to its inability u to find an offset for the cost of the legislation, something required by law, Moran said. He added that lawmakers now face a choice between continuing legislative deadlock or agreeing a agreeing to a funded a funding compromise. Moving on. Quotation, "We can either continue to encounter the same roadblock, we can do this over and over and over again and see the same result, or we can work together to address the concerns that have prevented this bill from passing for the last 5 years," he said. Moran added that the that the offsets included in the wider package are designed to cover the cost of the STAR Act and other provisions in their entirety. He urged colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support what he described as a practical route to passing long delayed reforms. When contacted for comment, Moran's office emphasized emphasized that the eligibility revisions would apply only to future claims that would not reduce existing disability ratings or eliminate compensation for tonitis or sleep apnea. Overall. So again, it would apply only to future claims and would not reduce existing disability ratings or eliminate compensation for tonitis or sleep apnea overall. So again, this is the rating schedule change. This is this is happening anyway. Why not take advantage of this money-saving rating schedule change and call that an offset? It's a smart move.
Let's move on. Proposed changes to tonitis. Let's see. Proposed changes to tonitis. One of the most significant changes would be uh that to tonitis, one of the most common service connected disabilities among veterans. Under the proposal, tenitis would generally no longer qualify for a standalone compensible disability rating. That's exactly what's in the rating schedule change that's already in the federal register. that's way past the comment period that is almost to the implementation stage that according to the VA should be implemented by the end of September 2026. That's what it says. Same thing. Interesting. A 10% disability rating for tonitis would remain available only in limited situations where tonitis is linked to service connected hearing loss that otherwise does not qualify for compensation. So a non-compensible hearing loss, a hearing loss rating at 0% with tonitis equals 10. This is exactly the proposed rating schedule change uh that is in place. I mean it's it's it's happening. This is what is moving forward. Supporters of the bill note that the changes would apply primarily to future claims and would not automatically eliminate existing disability ratings already awarded. Again, same type of language.
How sleep apnea ratings would change. Let's see. The legislation would also overhaul how sleep apnea is evaluated for disability compensation. And under the proposal, a 0% rating would apply when the condition is symptomfree even if treatment is required. That is exactly what is in the rating schedule proposed change for sleep apnea under the uh respiratory rating schedule. It says if your condition is adequately treated even with a CPAP, you're 0% if it's adequately treated. Now, there's a few more here. I'll just read these because they're here. 10% rating would be uh applicable when treatment provides only partial relief. A 50% rating would be reserved for cases where treatment is ineffective or cannot be used because of other medical conditions. a 100% rating would be limited to cases involving endorg organ damage. Veterans group argue veterans groups argue that these changes would make it more difficult for future claimants to qualify for higher levels of compensation uh and would significantly narrow eligibility for higher levels of compensation for affected veterans going forward. Are you living under a rock? The rating schedule changes for auditory tonitis and respiratory sleep apnea are saying all of this stuff. It's in process. It's already happening. It's going forward. It is going to be implemented. According to the VA, I believe it was earlier this year in 2026 in in one of the committee uh hearings uh in front of Congress said it will go into effect by the end of the fiscal year. That's September of 2026. So where's the uproar? Where's the the cries for um injustice, right? with regards to the rating schedule changes. What this is implying is we should sit here and argue about this, not let it pass. Forget about using the rating schedule changes as a funding mechanism. Let those rating schedule changes. Go all the way through the process, be implemented, be gone. Now there's a savings. Now it's gone. Guess what? You can't go back in time and go, "Well, we saved some money over there. Can we use it over here?" No. No. That's not how it works. you need to get a in front of it and say, "Hey, we'll proactively do this to do this. Now is the only time." This seems to me, and I could be way off base, this seems to me like a very smart move. It's happening anyway. Let's capitalize on it and be able to actually call it an offset instead of just a uh an update to the rating schedule. Let's actually call it an offset. Let's rename it. We're saving money. Let's rename it.
Veterans groups call it a poison pill. DAV has strongly opposed the funding mechanism, arguing that Congress should not force veterans to compete against one another for benefits. So again, the proposed rating schedule changes for auditory and respiratory are already well into the process and um they are getting close to the implementation stage, my friends. Um, so I'm not sure what you're talking about. This poison pill was included in a larger veterans package that includes a number of key DAV priorities, DAV National Commander Coleman Lee said in a statement. Lee noted the that the package contains several measures long supported by veterans groups, including expanded caregiver support, higher survivor benefits, improvements to prosthetic equipment, and increased compensation for catastrophically disabled veterans. However, he argued that lawmakers are using future benefit reductions to satisfy budget rules known as PIO, which generally require new spending to be offset elsewhere. Okay. Using future benefit reductions to satisfy budget rules. the rating schedule change that's actually negatively impacting veterans in my opinion. Eliminating essentially eliminating tonitis as a standalone condition and completely reducing um sleep apnea if it is deemed adequately treated negatively impacting veterans creating a huge benefits savings spend for the VA. Let's take that future change that's around the corner, by the way, and utilize that to offset this. How does that not make sense? Please tell me what I am missing because it sounds to me like we're going to stomp our feet and say no, let the rating schedule change take place, be enacted, and then cry that this didn't go through. and not find an offset anywhere. And then, well, maybe we'll get stuck like the Sher Brying and Eric Edmonson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act and every veteran can pay if they use their VA loan uh a second time, right? So, let's just do that. Um, because that seems really not that good either. Quotation here. While we appreciate, this is uh Coleman Lee I believe uh DAV. While we appreciate all good faith efforts to develop and enact a package of positive veteran legislation, we reject the premise that the only way to fulfill the promise made to the men and women who served in the past is by cutting benefits for veterans in the future. Lee said, "Well, then look, here's my question. I'm pretty sure that I saw a whole list of veteran organizations that support uh the Sherry Bryley and Eric Edmonson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act, which says clearly if you are a veteran who is using their VA home loan a second time um for a refinance, if you're using it for a refinance, an Earl, an interest rate reduction refinance loan, you will be charged nearly three times times as much as you would be charged today. The the the fee to refinance your home is about ready to triple if that goes through with a whole list of veteran service organizations that say we love this. What happened to well, it should be the government's responsibility to take care of catastrophically injured veterans and survivors. That's whose responsibility it is. But no, we're going to make veterans who are trying to get a lower interest rate pay out thousands of dollars more in fees and we're going to charge them to fund this bill. Big list of veteran service organizations. But here we get quote quotes like this, right? We get quotes like this. We reject the premise that the only way to fulfill the promise made to the men and women who served in the past is by cutting benefits for veterans in the future. Well, guess what? Your benefit of having a low cost to refinance has just been eliminated if the Sher Bryley and Eric Edmonson Veterans Benefits Act goes through.
Anyway, the funding for veterans programs, the legislation remains under consideration in Congress where lawmakers face competing pressures to expand benefits for combat injured veterans while addressing concerns about long-term costs. The debate has exposed a broader divide over how veterans programs should be funded and whether Congress should wave budget requirements rather than offset new benefits with changes elsewhere in the system. For now, supporters and critics agree on one point. The Major Richard Star Act addresses a long-standing issue affecting combat wounded veterans. The disagreement is over whether fixing that problem should come at the expense of future disability compensation for others. That's how it ends. And again, from what I'm reading in this Newsweek article, all it sounds like to me is that the already existing proposed rating schedule changes for auditory and respiratory that have been in process in the Federal Register uh and should be finalized by September of 2026 already are eliminating tonitis as a standalone condition. will only allow a 10% rating for tonitis if you have a 0% a non-compensible hearing loss and sleep apnea is a 0% if it is deemed adequately treated. So I don't know uh of anything other than that. I mean it's this is already happening. Why wouldn't we and please tell me why we wouldn't go hey look Congress we're taking it in the shorts over here. We are cutting off future veterans from these benefits and the VA is going to save billions of dollars. We're going to use that money to offset this. Just makes sense.
With that, I appreciate you watching. Thank you so much. I know it was longer. For those that hung on to the end, thank you so much. I do appreciate that support. Have a great one and remember, if we don't take care of each other, something went wrong.