10Jun
Common Defense condemns congressional proposal to eliminate compensation for tinnitus and sleep apnea to fund Major Richard Star Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. — This evening, Republican leadership introduced the “Take Care of America’s Veterans Act” ahead of the July 20 congressional recess. If passed, the legislation would codify the elimination of disability compensation ratings for tinnitus and sleep apnea. Estimated savings of $15 to $20 billion would be used as a budgetary offset to fund the Major Richard Star Act and dozens of other legislative priorities bundled into the same must-pass vehicle.
Common Defense, a national grassroots organization of veterans and military families, condemns this coordinated effort by House and Senate Republicans to cut VA disability benefits in a closed-door scheme that would strip earned compensation from hundreds of thousands of veterans to pay for a problem the VA didn’t create.
“Congress is once again asking veterans to pay for their own betrayal”, said Naveed Shah, Political Director of Common Defense. “Veterans earned these benefits. Tinnitus from gunfire. Sleep apnea from deployments that never let you rest. They are the documented cost of service, and for congressional Republicans to eliminate that compensation, just to pay for a different problem with the Department of Defense’s retirement pay, is an unprecedented betrayal.” Common Defense calls on every member of Congress to reject any legislation that cuts earned VA disability compensation, sign the discharge petition to force a clean vote on the Major Richard Star Act, and pursue funding solutions that don’t balance the budget on the backs of those who served.
Common Defense calls on every member of Congress to reject any legislation that cuts earned VA disability compensation, sign the discharge petition to force a clean vote on the Major Richard Star Act, and pursue funding solutions that don’t balance the budget on the backs of those who served.
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Common Defense Civic Engagement (501c4) (CDCE) is a grassroots, veteran-led organization that was founded in 2016. We empower veterans to stand up for our communities against the rising tide of racism, hate, and violence, to organize against the entrenched powers that have rigged our economy, and to champion an equitable and representative democracy, where “liberty and justice” truly is for all. For too long, politicians from both political parties have attempted to use veterans as unwilling political props, and Common Defense serves as a home for veterans to organize and speak for themselves and support the candidates who truly share our values.
