Veterans fight changes to disability payments

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Veterans groups are rallying to fight any proposal to change disability payments as the federal government attempts to address its long-term debt problem.

They say they’ve sacrificed already.

Government benefits are adjusted according to inflation, and President Barack Obama has endorsed using a slightly different measure of inflation, called the chained CPI, to calculate Social Security benefits.

Benefits would still grow but at a slower rate. That applies to veterans, too.

It’s unclear whether the president and lawmakers will reach an agreement on a debt deal later this year. But the veterans groups aren’t taking any chances and have aggressively lobbied lawmakers to keep them out of it.

Proponents of adjusting the benefits say that failing to act now will mean draconian cuts down the road.