Justices Rule for Combat Veterans Over Service Payments (2)

The US Supreme Court sided with combat veterans in their appeal for additional retroactive payments of special compensation they said the government unlawfully limited.

In a unanimous decision Thursday, the court said the payments aren’t limited by the six-year statute of limitations in the Barring Act.

The combat-related compensation law provides a settlement procedure that displaces the Barring Act’s default provisions, the court said in an opinion written by Justice Clarence Thomas.

Though the Barring Act authorizes certain entities to settle certain types of claims, “not all claims against the Government fall within the Barring Act’s ambit,” Thomas said. “While ...