Nearly 50 Senators Fight Plan That Could Cut Benefits for Veterans With Sleep Apnea and Tinnitus

Almost 50 U.S. senators sent a letter this week to Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, asking him to protect disability benefits for veterans with sleep apnea and tinnitus. Sleep apnea is a condition where a person stops breathing briefly during sleep, and tinnitus is a constant ringing sound in the ears. Both are among the most common health problems linked to military service. The senators warn that a new proposed rule could cut payments for more than 1 million veterans who depend on those benefits.

The senators' letter says the VA must not punish veterans for getting good medical treatment. Right now, veterans who need a CPAP machine to treat sleep apnea can receive a disability rating of 50 percent, which means they get a set amount of money each month. Under the proposed change, that rating would be based on how well the treatment works — so if a veteran's sleep apnea is managed well by a CPAP machine, their rating and their payment could be lowered. Veterans and doctors say this is unfair because it punishes people for following medical advice.

The same kind of change is planned for tinnitus. Veterans with tinnitus currently receive a 10 percent disability rating from the VA, which gives them some monthly compensation. Under the new proposal, tinnitus would no longer be seen as its own disability — it would instead be treated as a symptom of another condition. This could mean some veterans would lose their tinnitus benefits completely. About 3.6 million veterans currently receive tinnitus benefits, according to the senators' letter.

These changes are part of a larger bill called the 'Take Care of America's Veterans Act.' The bill includes many parts meant to help veterans, including a plan to finally pass the Major Richard Star Act, which has been debated for years. The Major Richard Star Act would let some combat veterans receive both their retirement pay and their disability pay at the same time. Supporters say the trade-off is worth it, but critics say it is wrong to pay for one group's benefits by cutting another group's benefits.

Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut led 46 other Democratic senators in signing the letter against the changes. The senators wrote that these cuts would 'strip disabled veterans of earned compensation and health care benefits.' They also said that whether the cuts happen through new rules or through a new law, the result would be the same — veterans who earned their benefits would lose them. The senators asked Collins to listen to veterans and medical experts who have spoken out against the plan.

Veterans groups have also spoken out strongly. The Disabled American Veterans group called the proposal 'wrong' and warned it could cut benefits for up to 1.5 million veterans. Their National Commander, Coleman Nee, wrote that there should be no reason to cut benefits for future veterans in order to help veterans from the past. He said the government made promises to all veterans, and those promises should be kept for everyone.

Senator Jerry Moran, who introduced the bill, disagrees. He says the 'Take Care of America's Veterans Act' would help millions of veterans, their families, and survivors. He points out that the Major Richard Star Act was first introduced in 2020 and has had strong support in Congress, yet it still has not passed. He believes this larger bill is finally a path forward to get it done, along with many other improvements for veterans.

Financial experts who have studied the bill warn the cuts could be very large. One estimate says the reductions could total around $57 billion over 10 years. Some also worry that staff cuts and more use of computers to process claims could lead to more veterans being denied benefits, longer wait times, and less access to care overall. Others fear the VA system could move toward more private options, which worries many veterans' advocates.

For now, the future of the proposed changes is unclear. Lawmakers on both sides remain firm in their positions, and veterans groups continue to push back hard. One financial expert said he has seen this kind of standoff happen before — where neither side moves, nothing gets passed, and veterans end up waiting longer for help. The debate is expected to continue as Congress decides whether to move forward with the full bill.