SOUTH HADLEY — Ahead of the American Legion National Convention on Sunday, South Hadley’s American Legion has issued a letter opposing a section in the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, which could cut an estimated $57 billion in veterans’ benefits over the next decade, and urged the national American Legion to retract its support of the bill as written.
“We wanted to put the South Hadley American Legion Post 260 in the middle of this because we believe in the fight for veterans’ benefits,” said Brian Willette, commander of Post 260. “The [National] American Legion is signing off on cuts to veterans’ benefits that we could not be more opposed to.”
The Aug. 17 letter highlights a particular section of a veterans’ benefits omnibus bill that would reduce disability compensation and treatment for tinnitus and sleep apnea. Tinnitus is the perception of sound — often described as ringing, buzzing, hissing, clicking or whooshing — in one or both ears when no external sound source is actually present.
“For the American Legion to turn their back on those people to say they’re going to get less of a stake than I get, or they’re going to pay for my continued benefit — [it’s] total BS,” Willette said.
While existing benefits would be preserved, current and future veterans would not have access to these benefits. That includes the 5,000 Marines aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier that are on their way home from a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 250 days in support of the U.S. war against Iran.
“You could have a veteran who applied for tinnitus a week ago, and they’ll get that rating and have that for the rest of their life,” said Daniel Nye, director of the Northampton-based Central Hampshire Veterans’ Services District. “And you could have a veteran who applies for it the week after, and they get a 0% service connection and don’t have access to those same benefits.”
The Take Care of America’s Veterans Act (TCAVA) rolls 62 pieces of legislation into one large package. Many of the provisions have been introduced separately, but Nye said grouping them together could give the bill the momentum it needs to move through the legislative process.
A House vote has been postponed until after the August recess amid mounting controversy over the bill.
“We’re kind of waiting to see what happens and if there are any changes made when they circle back on it,” Nye said.
Veterans advocacy groups are split on the legislation. The American Legion, Military Order of the Purple Heart and 20 other veterans agencies have issued letters of support for the bill in hopes of pushing through long-awaited reforms. However, the cuts to treatment for sleep apnea and tinnitus in Section 108 are preventing other veterans groups, most notably the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Paralyzed Veterans of America, from signing on.
“The VFW’s narrative has been you can’t take from future veterans to take care of other veterans, and the American Legion said, ‘They’re [the VA] going to do this anyway, so let’s take care of the veterans we can,’” Nye said.
The highlight of the bill is the Major Richard Star Act, which reinstates full military retirement pay to more than 50,000 veterans. Right now, any military retirement funds are offset by the amount of disability compensation a veteran receives.
Other items included in the legislation include the Love Lives On Act, which would ensure widows of service members maintain their benefits if they remarry, an important change for Willette, who has spent his career uplifting Gold Star veterans. It also bolsters mental health support and improves access in rural areas.
Right now, any veteran with tinnitus receives a 10% disability rating, or $170 a month, Nye said. A sleep apnea diagnosis provides a 50% rating to be used for a CPAP machine. Section 108 removes the tinnitus rating altogether and reduces sleep apnea treatment to coincide with symptom severity. These changes would cut an estimated $57 billion in veterans’ benefits over the next decade, according to the bill.
“It’s also the foot in the door for a lot of veterans who may not have medical care or may not be aware of some of the other conditions they have,” Nye said, “There’s a lot of concern about potentially closing that out for future veterans.”
Supporters of the bill argue that the proposed changes match current VA operations. Nye explains the VA has considered the reduction of both benefits for a while. However, Willette and other opposers say it is easier to push back against the VA than something codified by Congress.
Both conditions are common among veterans and linked to other mental and physical health challenges. One 2021 survey found that veterans with moderate to severe tinnitus were more likely to experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Veterans with sleep apnea were more likely to have PTSD and a traumatic brain injury, according to a 2025 study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
In the letter, Willette likens Take Care of America’s Veterans Act to the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, also known as the GI Bill. In the aftermath of World War II, some veterans worried the federal government could not feasibly compensate the influx of soldiers. Legislators proposed a two-tiered system to help offset the cost, but the American Legion vehemently opposed it. The organization campaigned hard for the bill and it passed by a narrow margin.
Now, a similar proposal sits in front of them, but this time the American Legion opted to accept it rather than repeat its previous fight.
“The American Legion then could have said, ‘Well, this is the best we’re going to get. Let’s go for it.’ And basically, that’s what they’re telling us today,” Willette said. “I’m so disappointed that we’re not taking the lead on this.”
American Legion Post 260 will join the American Legion Department of Alabama, Department of Texas and dozens of other local posts in opposing the bill at the American Legion National Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, on Aug. 30.
“If they want to know where Legionnaires stand from Massachusetts, whip out that letter,” Willette said.
