Jason Musgrave

How the VFW just screwed over combat wounded veterans and surviving spouses: Republicans in Congress (except for 4 who caved to VFW threats) finally got together for the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act (TCAVA), which contains multiple good pieces of legislation. For instance the Major Richard Star Act, something the VFW has demanded for years, and allows medically retired, combat-injured veterans to receive both military retired pay and VA disability compensation. It would have also eliminated remarriage penalties for Survivor Benefit Plan beneficiaries under 55, and restored TRICARE access to those who lost it through remarriage. And plenty more good things on top of that. To pay for it, the bill simply reduced future disability benefits for sleep apnea and tinnitus, some of the most abused ratings that cost taxpayers billions and can’t be connected to service in a meaningful or scientific way. Tinnitus, currently rated at 10%, was facing a reduction not because it doesn’t exist, but because we wanted to address it for what it is: secondary to something else we can help the veteran with like hearing loss or a TBI. Similarly, sleep apnea gets an automatic 50% rating if you’re diagnosed and prescribed a CPAP. That’s insane. When I got out, the loss of my eye was only 30%. This bill reduces sleep apnea to 10%. This reduction didn’t claim veterans don’t experience sleep apnea, but if your CPAP effectively manages your symptoms, we can categorize it different than other disabling conditions. Oh, by the way, the VA has wanted to reduce these ratings since 2022 and doesn’t even need Congress to do it! If the VA does it now and we don’t get TCAVA, future veterans will lose those ratings anyway and have none of these positive reforms to fall back on. Thank you, VFW, for screwing over current and future veterans and their spouses!