Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who will soon head the Veterans Affairs Committee, told a press conference this morning that disabled vets would see big cuts in their benefits as a result of changes to the cost-of-living-allowance calculation lawmakers are contemplating as part of a package to keep the country from going over the fiscal cliff.
The senator said the Congressional Budget Office determined that a change in how annual COLA adjustments are calculated could mean that veterans who started receiving VA disability benefits at age 30 would have their benefits reduced by $1,425 at age 45, $2,341 at age 55 and $3,231 at age 65.
“We must not balance the budget on the backs of men and women who already sacrificed for us in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Sanders said.
I’m quite pleased I managed to write the above without using the very inside-the-Beltway phrase “chained-CPI.”
Bob Brewin
Bob Brewin joined Government Executive in April 2007, bringing with him more than 20 years of experience as a journalist focusing on defense issues and technology. Bob covers the world of defense and information technology for Nextgov, and is the author of the “What’s Brewin” blog.
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