A manager’s amendment filed ahead of this week’s scheduled floor consideration of a sweeping package of veterans legislation would tweak some key language in the bill, but leave untouched the most controversial part of the measure.
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill., filed an amendment last week with the House Rules Committee for his bill that would adjust the marquee provision, in addition to making numerous technical changes throughout the legislation. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Jerry Moran, R-Kan., jointly introduced the measure with Bost on June 10 and released his chamber’s version at the same time.
The main provision in the underlying bill, based on stand-alone legislation known as the Maj. Richard Star Act, would allow more disabled veterans to collect the full amounts of both their military retirement pay and Department of Veterans Affairs disability benefits.
Bost’s amendment would specifically clarify eligibility for the expanded pay among retirees from reserve components. It would also make the expanded benefits for all affected veterans kick in immediately upon enactment instead of in 2027.
But veterans say those tweaks for reservists still don’t solve some problems with the language and that another issue limiting who can get expanded benefits is unaddressed by the amendment.
