Scores of veterans received special separation pay in an effort to reduce manpower in certain fields. But a little-known law prohibits them from receiving both disability and special separation pay: Veterans who have received disability benefits for years won’t be getting any more until they pay back the separation benefits.

“It took the legs from right underneath me,” said one veteran, who told NBC News it took about 36 months to repay the roughly $33,000 he owed.