ALVA Raises Concerns Over Veterans Benefits Trade-Offs and Food Security

WASHINGTON, DC — November 13, 2026 — The American Latino Veterans Association (ALVA) recognizes the significant improvements to veterans’ benefits included in the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act (TCAVA), recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. However, ALVA is raising serious concerns about proposed reductions in future disability compensation, the inclusion of the Major Richard Star Act in a broader legislative package, and separate changes to federal food assistance eligibility that could affect veterans and their families, particularly those experiencing financial hardship.

For ALVA, these developments raise broader questions about the economic security of Latino veterans and their families. Access to earned benefits, meaningful employment, health care, and food assistance are interconnected elements of veterans’ well-being. Policy changes must be evaluated not only for their fiscal impact but also for their long-term consequences for those who served.

TCAVA: Important Progress, but at What Cost?

TCAVA includes numerous provisions intended to improve veterans’ health care, disability compensation, survivor benefits, and caregiver support. Many of these measures address longstanding needs and reflect years of work by veterans service organizations (VSOs).

However, Section 108 would substantially change how the Department of Veterans Affairs evaluates disability claims involving sleep apnea and tinnitus. Under the proposed changes, some future claimants could receive significantly lower disability ratings and compensation than they would under current standards.

For example, veterans whose sleep apnea symptoms are controlled through treatment could receive a 0% rating, compared with the 50% rating commonly awarded today when a CPAP machine is required. The legislation would also generally eliminate the standalone 10% rating for tinnitus, with limited exceptions.

Although existing disability awards would be protected from reductions based solely on these changes, the financial consequences for future generations of veterans could be substantial.

These changes are intended, in part, to generate budgetary savings that would help finance other provisions of TCAVA.

ALVA is deeply concerned about the precedent of using reductions in future veterans’ disability compensation to finance improvements in benefits for other veterans. While disability-rating criteria should reflect current medical evidence and the actual impact of service-connected conditions, the potential savings should not overshadow the consequences for veterans.

ALVA believes disability-rating decisions must be grounded in sound medical evidence, informed by veterans’ experiences, and evaluated independently of their potential budgetary savings. The financial consequences for future veterans deserve the same scrutiny as the benefits the legislation seeks to deliver.

The Major Richard Star Act: A Longstanding Priority

The Major Richard Star Act seeks to correct a longstanding inequity affecting certain combat-injured military retirees who cannot currently receive their full military retirement pay and VA disability compensation concurrently.

The legislation has enjoyed substantial bipartisan support and has been a priority for numerous veterans organizations.

Its inclusion in TCAVA, however, has generated disagreement within the veterans community. Some VSOs view the broader package as an opportunity to secure long-delayed benefits, while others believe the full Star Act deserves separate consideration, particularly given the controversial disability-rating provisions included in TCAVA.

The version incorporated into TCAVA also differs in important respects from the full standalone proposal, making it essential that veterans understand the differences.

ALVA recognizes the importance of addressing the longstanding inequity affecting combat-injured military retirees and supports meaningful action to resolve it.

ALVA believes the full Major Richard Star Act deserves consideration on its own merits, independent of unrelated changes that could reduce disability compensation for other veterans.

This concern does not diminish the importance of the Star Act or the legitimate desire to secure its passage after years of delay.

SNAP Eligibility Changes: Implications for Veterans’ Food Security

Separate from TCAVA, changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) enacted in 2025 have eliminated a special exemption from certain work requirements previously available to veterans.

Under the revised eligibility rules, some veterans who cannot document sufficient qualifying work or establish another exemption may lose food assistance after three months within a three-year period.

According to research from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, nearly 1.2 million veterans lived in households receiving SNAP benefits between 2022 and 2024. An estimated 260,000 veterans may be subject to the revised time limits.

These changes could have particularly serious consequences for veterans experiencing unemployment, housing instability, health challenges, or difficulties transitioning to civilian employment.

Through its focus on workforce development and economic opportunity, ALVA recognizes the importance of helping veterans secure meaningful employment and achieve long-term financial stability. However, employment requirements must also account for the realities facing veterans who encounter barriers to securing and maintaining stable work.

Food security is not separate from veterans’ health and well-being. It is fundamental to both.

ALVA: Veterans Deserve Better Than Difficult Trade-Offs

“Veterans have earned more than our gratitude. They have earned our commitment to ensuring that the benefits and support systems intended to serve them are fair, effective, and sustainable,” said Danny Vargas, Chairman and CEO of the American Latino Veterans Association.

“TCAVA contains important provisions that could improve the lives of many veterans, and those improvements deserve recognition. But we should be deeply concerned about the prospect of financing those benefits through reductions in disability compensation for future veterans.

“The Major Richard Star Act addresses a longstanding inequity affecting combat-injured retirees. It deserves consideration on its own merits, without requiring veterans to accept potentially harmful changes elsewhere in the benefits system.

“At the same time, changes to SNAP eligibility raise serious questions about how we support veterans who are struggling to put food on the table. We cannot look at disability compensation, retirement benefits, employment, and food security in isolation. They are all part of the larger picture of veterans’ economic security and well-being.”

A Commitment to Informed Veterans Policy

ALVA recognizes that respected veterans service organizations hold differing views on TCAVA. These differences reflect legitimate concerns about how best to deliver long-awaited improvements while protecting benefits for current and future veterans.

ALVA believes that any changes to disability compensation should be supported by sound medical evidence, evaluated for their long-term financial consequences, and considered independently of their potential budgetary savings.

Similarly, policies affecting food assistance should be evaluated not only for their fiscal impact but also for their consequences for veterans and families experiencing economic hardship.

The central principle is clear: Progress for one group of veterans should not come at the expense of overlooking the needs and well-being of another.

As a national organization dedicated to helping Latino veterans thrive, ALVA remains committed to working with policymakers across party lines, providing objective information, and supporting efforts that strengthen access to earned benefits, meaningful employment, and essential services for veterans and their families.

For more information, visit www.alvavets.org.

American Latino Veterans Association (ALVA)
Defending America, Always
Valor • Honor • Vital

alvavets.org | @alvavets

About American Latino Veterans Association (ALVA):
The American Latino Veterans Association (ALVA) is a registered 501c3 non-profit that exists to help American Latino veterans thrive after their military service, access the benefits they have earned, and enhance recognition of Latino contributions to our nation’s defense throughout its history. ALVA membership is free to all veterans, active duty, guard, reserves, and family members, irrespective of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, national origin, or disability status. For more information on ALVA visit https://www.alvavets.org or follow us on our social media channels @alvavets.