The House of Representatives passed the sweeping Take Care of America’s Veterans Act (TCAVA) on Veterans Day, advancing legislation that could expand benefits for millions of veterans and military families despite continuing opposition from major veterans organizations over proposed changes to disability compensation.
The legislation, H.R. 9237, passed by voice vote Wednesday at approximately 2:46 p.m. Eastern, according to the official House Clerk’s floor record. Because the measure passed by voice vote, individual lawmakers’ positions were not recorded.
The bill combines more than 60 veterans-related measures into a single package addressing retirement compensation, survivor benefits, caregiver assistance, health care access and improvements to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Its passage marks a significant legislative step for House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill., and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jerry Moran, R-Kan., who have championed the legislation as a way to advance long-standing veterans priorities.
However, the measure still requires Senate approval before it can be sent to President Donald Trump.
What the Veterans Benefits Package Would Provide
Among the legislation’s most significant provisions is the Major Richard Star Act, which would allow approximately 54,000 combat-injured military retirees to receive both their full military retirement pay and VA disability compensation.
Under current law, many medically retired service members with fewer than 20 years of service must have their retirement payments reduced when they receive VA disability compensation.
The Star Act would eliminate that restriction for eligible combat-injured retirees, addressing what advocates have long described as an inequity in the military retirement system.
Other provisions would increase certain benefits for surviving spouses, expand caregiver assistance, improve access to community health care and modernize portions of the VA benefits system.
The package also incorporates the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act, which would increase certain special monthly compensation payments for severely disabled veterans.
In announcing the legislation earlier this year, Bost described the package as an opportunity to address numerous veterans priorities through a single congressional effort.
Why Some Veterans Organizations Oppose the Bill
Despite broad support for many of its provisions, TCAVA has generated significant disagreement within the veterans community.
At the center of the controversy is Section 108, which would change how the VA evaluates certain service-connected disabilities, including tinnitus and obstructive sleep apnea.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled American Veterans have argued that the changes could reduce disability compensation for some future claimants, effectively using savings from those benefits to help fund other provisions of the legislation.
The VFW urged lawmakers to reject TCAVA, arguing that improvements for current veterans should not come at the expense of future generations.
The VFW condemned Wednesday’s passage. “It is an insult to America’s veterans that Congress would advance legislation threatening their earned benefits on Veterans Day, the very day our nation is supposed to honor their service and sacrifice,” VFW National Commander-in-Chief Cory Geisler said in a statement. “This proposal should be dead on arrival in the Senate.”
DAV has also opposed the proposed compensation changes, citing a VA analysis estimating that the changes could affect up to 1.5 million veterans and reduce compensation payments by as much as $57 billion over 10 years.
Supporters of TCAVA maintain that the broader legislation would provide substantial benefits across the veterans community and that the package offers a practical path for advancing measures that have struggled to become law individually.
The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors welcomed the vote because the package includes the Love Lives On Act, which the group said would let more than 30,000 surviving military families remarry without losing benefits. “We are so encouraged by today’s House vote, putting us one step away from finally ending the ‘remarriage penalty’ for surviving spouses,” Bonnie Carroll, the group’s president and founder, said in a statement. “We encourage the Senate to quickly follow the House’s lead and get the bill to the President’s desk before the end of the year.”
The disagreement has highlighted a fundamental question facing Congress: whether lawmakers should advance a comprehensive package containing both expanded benefits and compensation changes or pursue individual measures separately.
A Separate Fight Over the Major Richard Star Act
The House’s passage of TCAVA came on the same day lawmakers took a significant procedural step toward considering the Major Richard Star Act independently.
In a 245-175 vote Wednesday, the House approved a motion to discharge a resolution that would provide for consideration of the standalone legislation.
The vote represented a victory for supporters seeking to advance the Star Act without attaching it to TCAVA’s more controversial provisions.
However, the procedural action did not constitute final passage of the standalone bill. Further proceedings on the resolution were postponed after a voice vote, leaving its immediate future unresolved.
For veterans organizations opposing TCAVA, the standalone approach would allow Congress to address concurrent receipt without also adopting the proposed disability compensation changes.
Supporters of the broader package argue that keeping the measures together provides a legislative vehicle for delivering numerous benefits simultaneously.
What Happens Next for Veterans?
With House passage secured, TCAVA now faces consideration in the Senate, where lawmakers will determine whether to advance the legislation in its current form or pursue changes.
Moran, who chairs the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, has been a leading advocate for the comprehensive approach.
The Trump administration previously expressed support for several provisions of TCAVA, while also identifying concerns about certain aspects of the legislation that it wanted Congress to address.
Any Senate changes would require additional congressional action before the legislation could reach the president’s desk.
For veterans awaiting expanded retirement compensation, increased survivor benefits or additional caregiver support, Wednesday’s vote represents progress but does not immediately change eligibility or payments.
And for those concerned about the future of disability compensation, the debate surrounding Section 108 is far from over.
With the 119th Congress approaching its conclusion, lawmakers now face the challenge of determining which provisions can secure final approval before the legislative session ends.
