The first comprehensive review of veterans' disability benefits in 51 years recommends that Congress and the Bush administration support an immediate increase in compensation levels — of up to 25 percent for the most severely disabled.

The Veterans Disability Benefits Commission's report, reflecting more than two years of work, also wants all disabled veterans made eligible for "concurrent receipt" of both disability pay and an annuity based on years spent in service.

The commissioners, 12 of whom are distinguished veterans themselves, didn't allow cost considerations to deeply influence their deliberations.

"We came up with a lot of recommendations that are cheap and easy, and some that are hard and expensive. But we really believe all of them will add value to the system if they are carefully considered and, hopefully, adopted," said retired Lt. Gen. Terry Scott, a former infantry officer and Army Ranger who chaired the panel.

The only nonveteran, actuary John L. Grady, dissented from some of the most costly recommendations, including blanket concurrent receipt. The full report is available online at: www.vetscommission .org/reports.asp.

In 2004, House Republican leaders, pressured by the Bush administration, had opposed expansion of benefits for disabled retirees and surviving widows. When forced to reverse course that election year through Democratic maneuvers and lobbying by veterans' groups, the Republican majority insisted on creation of a bipartisan commission to study disability benefits.

Rep. Steve Buyer, R-Ind., who became chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee in 2005, said he looked for the commission to consider tightening the definition of service-connected disabilities and whether Congress went too far in lifting the ban on concurrent receipt for all retirees rated 100 percent disabled, even those with non-combat conditions.

What the commission did instead was call for an unprecedented expansion of benefits and support programs for disabled veterans, whether they were disabled in Iraq or in World War II, or became ill serving their country sometime between those two wars.

It might take Congress years to implement the bulk of the commission's proposals including: