58,000 Veterans to Receive $1,450 Monthly Increase as House Passes Bill
The chamber approved a bipartisan measure to end pay offsets for short-service veterans, reversing a procedural vote earlier in the day that critics called a trick.
By Rebecca Lewis ·
Approximately 58,000 medically disabled veterans in the United States will receive an estimated $1,450 increase in monthly compensation under a bill passed by the House of Representatives on Thursday morning. The legislation eliminates a requirement that forces veterans who served fewer than 20 years to reduce their retirement pay if they also receive disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The House voted 392-18 to pass the bipartisan measure. All 12 House members from New Jersey voted in favor. The 18 opposing votes came entirely from the Republican majority. This action follows a contentious procedural vote earlier in the week where Republicans advanced a separate bill by voice vote, a move that drew sharp criticism from Democrats and some veteran groups.
The bill that passed on Thursday rewrites a section of U.S. law governing how retirement pay and disability compensation interact. According to the Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan agency, the change will provide the full benefit amount to veterans in this specific category. The increase is calculated to be roughly $1,450 per month for each recipient.
Prior to Thursday's vote, the House passed a different measure on Veterans Day that would have funded higher benefits for some existing beneficiaries by altering compensation rates for conditions such as tinnitus and sleep apnea. That earlier bill would not affect current recipients but would lower the benefits available to future veterans. Republicans advanced that measure by voice vote on Wednesday because no Democrat objected.
Rep. Herb Conaway, a Democrat from New Jersey’s third district and a member of the House Veterans Affairs committee, criticized the earlier maneuver. In an interview, he stated, “We shouldn’t be taking from one group of veterans to give to another group of veterans.” He added that the goal is for veterans to receive their full benefit without one group being penalized to fund another.
Rep. Analilia Mejia, a Democrat from New Jersey’s 11th district, noted that tinnitus is one of the most common conditions for which veterans seek benefits. She said, “They’re going to change the rules so that future veterans wouldn’t be covered.” This concern contributed to the bipartisan support for the bill passed on Thursday, which aims to protect benefits for those who have already served.
The procedural handling of the earlier vote sparked debate on the House floor. Democrats claimed that Republican leaders pulled Rep. Mark Takano, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and his staff away during floor debate. This allowed the Republican measure to pass by voice vote without a formal objection from the minority side. Takano described the situation as shameful and disgusting, stating that Republicans knew they did not have the votes to pass the bill without Democratic support.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a Republican from New Jersey’s second district who lost his re-election bid, was one of three Republicans who had helped block the earlier legislation in July. He said he did not understand why leaders brought the unaltered bill to the floor. “I’ve never been in favor of helping one person but doing that and hurting others,” Van Drew said. He argued that if the disability system needs review, the VA should conduct that review rather than shifting costs to different groups of veterans.
Cory Geisler, the national commander-in-chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, condemned the sequence of events. In a statement, he called the approach cowardly and dishonorable. He suggested that the earlier proposal should die in the Senate, sending a message to current service members that the country honors its commitments. The bills that have passed the House must now clear the Senate and receive President Donald Trump’s signature to become law.
The Thursday vote marked the second procedural issue for Democrats that week. On Tuesday, 11 Democrats missed an impeachment vote on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, effectively tabling the matter until Democrats take control of Congress next year. Mike Bost, the Illinois Republican who chairs the Veterans Affairs committee, dismissed the complaints about the voice vote, saying Democrats could have objected but were asleep at the wheel.
