For years, veterans have advocated for a change in how retirement pay and disability compensation are distributed to combat-injured, medically retired veterans with fewer than 20 years of service.
They want veterans who were forced to medically retire early due to combat-related injuries to receive both their disability compensation and full retirement pay concurrently.
That would result in higher benefits for those veterans, who currently have their military retirement pay decreased by the amount of their Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation.
A mega-bill in Congress combining 62 pieces of veteran-aiding legislation would deliver that long-wanted change, but it comes at a steep price. It also would adjust the disability ratings for tinnitus and sleep apnea, which could decrease benefits for future veterans with those conditions.
Tinnitus, or persistent ear ringing, is by far the most commonly filed VA disability, impacting over 3 million veterans. More than 700,000 veterans had sleep apnea claims in 2025.
The rating changes would apply only to new claims. Veterans who currently receive compensation for tinnitus and sleep apnea would not be affected.
San Antonio U.S. Army veteran Pete Bernal, who medically retired after 15 years of service, said while the bill would benefit him personally, he cannot support it if it harms other veterans.
"I don’t think it's right that we should be taking away from future veterans' disability," he said.
Bernal has both tinnitus and sleep apnea, so while his own diagnoses would remain covered, he understands firsthand the impacts on future veterans.
"Right now, it's [half] of my disability, but it creates all of these other disabilities," he said. "It creates high blood pressure. It creates [high] blood sugar. It creates [high] cortisol. It creates all this stuff."
Veterans receive tax-free monthly payments based on their disability ratings from a scale of zero to 100 percent. A veteran with no dependents and a full disability rating of 100 percent would receive almost $4,000 per month.
Currently, veterans with sleep apnea who require a CPAP machine receive a 50 percent rating. Under the proposed change, this automatic rating would go away, and disability percentage would be assessed based on severity of the condition.
The bill also takes away the existing 10 percent rating for tinnitus in most cases.
Dividing the community
The issue is creating a rift among the nation's largest veteran service organizations.
The American Legion supports the legislation, arguing that the 554-page bill has a lot of positives which outweigh its negatives. In addition to allowing concurrent disability compensation and full retirement pay, the measure also includes provisions improving support for caregivers and expanding benefits to surviving spouses.
Danny Muth, the commander of Texas’ American Legion, said many provisions in the bill have been the organization’s top priorities for years.
This may be the only chance to get those provisions passed, Muth said, noting that the Legion still hopes the tinnitus and sleep apnea rating changes will be removed from the bill before Congress passes it.
"We want to reaffirm that the American Legion is not for giving benefits to one veteran over the expense of another," he said. "We need to fight for the bill, but fight against the rule."
Meanwhile, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Disabled American Veterans oppose the legislation.
Mitch Fuller, the national and state legislative chairman for Texas' VFW, said the organization can't support the bill until the rating change is removed.
"VFW is adamant. We take care of all veterans; past, present and future," he said.
Wide-reaching impact
The mega-bill was scheduled for a July vote in the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives, but was pulled at the last minute after protests from veteran groups. It will likely be considered again in September.
The VA disability compensation system has rarely seen changes since World War II, despite the evolution of medical treatment options. But the VA has sought to cut spending for years by changing the ratings for sleep apnea and tinnitus specifically, because they are such common claims.
A 2022 proposal to reduce those two ratings was stalled after pushback from veterans.
Muth is concerned that even if Congress doesn't approve the tinnitus and sleep apnea changes, the VA will proceed with them anyway.
Other veterans fear that this proposed adjustment might open the door for changes in the way other conditions are rated.
"That’s the whole Pandora’s box argument — is TBI on the table?" Fuller said.
The worry is that allowing Congress to change these two ratings could lead to future rating changes for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or Traumatic Brain Injury, two other common service-related injuries, so that funding could be redirected.
"That opens the door to continually dip into that to offset the spending costs elsewhere," said Garrett Stacey, a San Antonio U.S. Army veteran.
Stacey said he put off getting his VA rating for years, before he ultimately got both a sleep apnea and tinnitus rating. He opposes the bill and said he's worried about where things will stand when his wife, who is currently on active-duty, leaves the military.
The VA did not respond to a request for comment on the proposed changes.
Moving forward
For some advocates, it feels important now more than ever to protect veterans benefits.
"Our leadership is creating a new class of combat veterans as we speak," Fuller said, referring to the troops serving during the current war with Iran.
"The previous generation was advocating for me when I was out," Fuller said. "This is about paying it forward."
San Antonio, known as Military City USA, is home to one of the highest concentrations of active-duty service members and veterans in the country.
Should the bill pass, eligible veterans will be entitled to more compensation, and active-duty service members will face a new rating system upon their exit.
The Warrior Allegiance, a San Antonio veterans disability organization, found that tinnitus was the most commonly filed VA disability among veterans in the city.
For Bernal, his tinnitus causes headaches, migraines and dizzy spells, and he has felt his heart worsen from sleeping with a CPAP machine every night, which he says he hates using.
He said he would receive approximately $1,000 more per month under the proposed changes, but to him it's not worth it. He said veterans are making a sacrifice to give their time to the military, and the disabilities they amass during service often take years off their life.
"I'd rather have my time back," he said. "I mean I would love to spend more time with my kids…I would love to stay a little bit longer."
The San Antonio Report’s military and veterans coverage is supported by Report for America.
This story was produced by the American Homefront Project, a public media collaboration that reports on American military life and veterans.
