07/17/2026
A CALL TO ACTION: OPPOSE THE "TAKE CARE OF AMERICA'S VETERANS ACT" IN ITS CURRENT FORM
Fellow Veterans and Family Members,
As Adjutant/Treasurer DAV Chapter 12 Paris, Kentucky, I urge every DAV Chapter member and all local Veterans to immediately contact your U.S. Senators and Congressional Representatives and ask them to oppose the "Take Care of America's Veterans Act" (H.R. 9237/S. 4744) unless the provisions affecting veterans with service-connected tinnitus and obstructive sleep apnea are removed. (Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs)
While this legislation contains several positive initiatives, it proposes to fund these benefits by changing disability compensation for veterans suffering from tinnitus and sleep apnea-two of the most common service-connected disabilities among America's veterans. Veteran service organizations, including DAV and VFW, have warned that these changes could affect future generations of disabled veterans and establish a dangerous precedent of reducing earned benefits to offset the cost of other programs. (DAV)
This issue extends far beyond two diagnostic conditions.
Under 38 C.F.R. Part 4, tinnitus and obstructive sleep apnea frequently serve as the foundation for numerous secondary service-connected conditions, including depression, anxiety, hypertension, heart disease, cognitive impairment, migraines, and other chronic disabilities. If Congress diminishes or eliminates recognition of these conditions, future veterans may encounter significant obstacles in establishing secondary service connections directly linked to them. The long-term consequences could affect millions of veterans and their families. (Task & Purpose)
Today it is tinnitus and sleep apnea. Tomorrow it could be PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, migraines, toxic exposure conditions, or any other disability targeted for budget savings. Congress must never balance the federal budget on the backs of disabled veterans who earned these benefits through their service and sacrifice. (Task & Purpose)
The Disabled American Veterans was founded on one principle: to preserve and pro proposals are advanced that may undermine the integrity of the VA disability compensation system and create uncertainty for future generations of veterans.
I respectfully ask every Veteran to take the following immediate actions:
1. Contact Congress: Call, email, or write your U.S. Senators and Representatives today and demand opposition to this legislation unless the tinnitus and sleep apnea provisions are removed.
2. Reject any effort to reduce or alter compensation for service-connected tinnitus and obstructive sleep apnea.
3. Mobilize All Veterans, families, and supporters to contact Congress and advocate against these provisions.
4. Amplify Awareness: Share this issue at meetings, on social media, and within your communities to increase pressure on lawmakers.
5. Advocate Relentlessly: Defend earned veterans' benefits with unity and resolve-no compromises.
Our message to Congress must be clear:
Disabled veterans should never be forced to pay for other legislative priorities with reductions to their earned compensation.
Respectfully
Michael Sparks, SMSgt, USAF-retired
Adjutant DAV KY `12
Paris, KY
