Soto v. United States

P R E L I M I N A R Y P R I N T
Volume 605 U. S. Part 2
Pages 360–375
OFFICIAL REPORTS
OF
T H E S U P R E M E C O U R T
June 12, 2025
REBECCA A. WOMELDORF
reporter of decisions
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360 OCTOBER
TERM, 2024
Syllabus
SOTO, individually and on behalf of all others
similarl
y situated v. UNITED STATES
certiorari to the united states court of appeals for
the federal circuit
No. 24–320. Argued April 28, 2025—Decided June 12, 2025
The Barring Act, 31 U. S. C. § 3702, establishes default settlement proce-
dures for claims against the Government and subjects most claims to a
6-year limitations period. However, the Act includes an exception: If
“another law” confers authority to settle a claim against the Govern-
ment, that law displaces the Barring Act's settlement mechanism, in-
cluding its limitations period. § 3702(a). In 2002, Congress enacted a
statute providing “combat-related special compensation” (CRSC) to
qualifying veterans who have suffered combat-related disabilities. 10
U. S. C. § 1413a. Under federal law, retired veterans generally must
waive a portion of their military retirement pay to receive Veterans
Affairs (VA) disability benefts, but the CRSC statute allows combat-
disabled retirees to receive special compensation up to the amount of
waived retired pay.
Petitioner Simon Soto served in the Marine Corps from 2000 to 2006,
including two tours in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was medically re-
tired in 2006 and later received a 100-percent disability rating for post-
traumatic stress disorder from the VA. In 2016, Soto applied for CRSC
payments. The Secretary of the Navy approved his application but lim-
ited retroactive compensation to six years, citing the Barring Act's limi-
tations period. Soto fled a class-action lawsuit arguing that the Bar-
ring Act's 6-year limitations period does not apply to CRSC claims
because the CRSC statute constitutes “another law” that provides its
own settlement mechanism. The District Court granted summary
judgment for the class, but the Federal Circuit reversed, holding that
the CRSC statute does not explicitly grant settlement authority and
therefore cannot displace the Barring Act.
Held: The CRSC statute confers authority to settle CRSC claims and thus
displaces the Barring Act's settlement procedures and limitations pe-
riod. Pp. 367–375.
(a) The term “settle” in the Government-claims context refers to de-
termining the validity of a claim and the amount of money a claimant is
due. See Illinois Surety Co. v. United States ex rel. Peeler, 240 U. S.
214, 219–220. A statute confers settlement authority so long as it vests
an entity with these powers. While the most straightforward way to
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361
Syllabus
confer settlement authority may be to use the term “settle,” Congress
need
not “ `use magic words.' ” Department of Agriculture Rural De-
velopment Rural Housing Service v. Kirtz, 601 U. S. 42, 48–49. To de-
termine whether a statute constitutes “another law” that displaces the
Barring Act's settlement procedures, courts must examine the text, con-
text, and structure of “the entire statutory scheme” to analyze whether
the law confers authority to determine both a claim's validity and the
amount due. Winkelman v. Parma City School Dist., 550 U. S. 516,
523; see Illinois Surety, 240 U. S., at 219–220. Pp. 367–369.
(b) The CRSC statute meets these requirements. The law confers
upon “[t]he Secretary concerned” the “[a]uthority” to pay each “eligible”
claimant a “monthly amount” “determined” under the statute's terms.
10 U. S. C. § 1413a(a). Regarding validity, the statute provides that the
Secretary concerned shall “conside[r]” whether a CRSC applicant is an
“elig ible” “combat-related disabled uni for med serv ices retiree. ”
§ 1413a(d). Because the Secretary “shall pay” CRSC payments to “each
eligible” veteran, § 1413a(a), determining a claimant's eligibility is tanta-
mount to determining the validity of his claim. The statute also confers
authority on the Secretary to determine the amount due by instructing
the Secretary to pay a specifc monthly amount. §§ 1413a(b)(1)–(3).
Taken as a whole, the statute establishes a unique, self-contained, com-
prehensive compensation scheme that authorizes the Secretary con-
cerned to determine both the validity of CRSC claims and the amount
due on them, thus creating a separate settlement mechanism that dis-
places the Barring Act's default procedures. Pp. 369–370.
(c) The Federal Circuit erred by imposing undue requirements on
Congress's ability to confer settlement authority and by disregarding
the CRSC statute's plain text. The court's demand for “specifc lan-
guage” and its alternative requirement that a statute provide a specifc
limitations period to displace the Barring Act are rejected. Congress
need not use particular words to confer settlement authority, and, in
this unique statutory regime, it is not unreasonable to think that Con-
gress would have provided a settlement mechanism without a specifc
limitations period. The Government's arguments for affrmance are
similarly unpersuasive, including its insistence on “hallmark formula-
tions” to confer settlement authority and its concern about destabilizing
Government programs. The CRSC statute's separate subsections, in
combination, create a comprehensive benefts regime that authorizes the
Secretary concerned to determine both the validity of CRSC claims and
the amount due on them. Pp. 370–375.
92 F. 4th 1094, reversed and remanded.
Thomas, J., delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court.
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362 SOTO
v. UNITED STATES
Opinion of the Court
Tacy F. Flint argued the cause for petitioner. With her
on
the briefs were J. Simone Jones, Nathaniel C. Love,
Emily M. Wexler, Ankur Shingal, Barton F. Stichman, Ro-
chelle Bobroff, and Lakeisha F. Mays.
Caroline A. Flynn argued the cause for the United States.
With her on the brief were Acting Solicitor General Harris,
Acting Assistant Attorney General Roth, Deputy Solicitor
General Stewart, and Charles W. Scarborough.*
Justice Thomas delivered the opinion of the Court.
Title 31 U. S. C. § 3702, known as the Barring Act, estab-
lishes a default settlement regime for certain claims brought
against the Government. The Barring Act subjects most
claims to a 6-year limitations period. § 3702(b)(1). But, the
Act includes an exception: If “another law” confers authority
to settle a claim against the Government, then that law dis-
places the Barring Act's settlement mechanism—including
its limitations period—as to that claim. § 3702(a). The
question before us is whether a law providing “[c]ombat-
related special compensation” (CRSC) to qualifying veterans
confers authority to settle CRSC claims. 10 U. S. C. § 1413a.
We hold that it does, and thus that the settlement procedures
and limitations established under the Barring Act do not
apply to claims for CRSC payments.
I
A
The Barring Act establishes default procedures for how a
variety of “claims of or against the United States Govern-
ment shall be settled.” 31 U. S. C. § 3702(a).
*Briefs of amici curiae urging reversal were fled for the Connecticut
Veterans Legal Center et al. by Amy Mason Saharia and Diane Boyd
Rauber; for Military-Veterans Advocacy, Inc., et al. by Melanie L. Bost-
wick, Melanie R. Hallums, and John B. Wells; and for the National Law
School Veterans Clinic Consortium by Katie M. Becker.
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as: 605 U. S. 360 (2025)
363
Opinion of the Court
The term “settle” in this context refers to determining the
amount
of money a claimant is due. See Illinois Surety Co.
v. United States ex rel. Peeler, 240 U. S. 214, 219 (1916).
This meaning of “settlement” fows from the well-established
principle that in the Government-claims context, when the
Government “determine[s]” that a claim is “valid,” the claim
“should be paid in full.” Offce of Gen. Counsel, GAO, Prin-
ciples of Federal Appropriations Law 11–6 (1982). Thus, the
inquiries relevant to settling a claim are straightforward:
First, we ask whether the claim is valid; and second, if it is,
we ask how much the Government owes.
The Barring Act authorizes certain entities to settle cer-
tain types of claims. See §§ 3702(a)(1)–(4). Relevant here,
the Act provides that the Secretary of Defense will settle
“claims involving uniformed service members' pay, allow-
ances, travel, transportation, payments for unused accrued
leave, retired pay, and survivor benefts.” § 3702(a)(1)(A).
Most claims covered under the Barring Act are subject to a
6-year limitations period. § 3702(b)(1).
But, not all claims against the Government fall within the
Barring Act's ambit. While the Barring Act provides a de-
fault framework for settling and processing claims against
the Government, it includes a signifcant exception: If “an-
other law” creates a separate settlement process, then that
process displaces the Act's settlement mechanism. § 3702(a);
see also § 3702(b)(1)(A) (stating that the Act's 6-year limita-
ti ons per i od does not apply i f “another law” prov ides
otherwise).
B
In 2002, Congress enacted the CRSC statute, 10 U. S. C.
§ 1413a, to provide special payments to military retirees who
have suffered combat-related disabilities. See Bob Stump
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003,
§ 636, 116 Stat. 2574–2576. Under federal law, retired veter-
ans generally must waive a portion of their military retire-
ment pay in order to receive disability benefts from the De-
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364 SOTO
v. UNITED STATES
Opinion of the Court
partment of Veterans Affairs (VA). 38 U. S. C. §§ 5304–
5305.
But, under the CRSC statute, a retired veteran who
establishes that his disability is attributable to a combat-
related injury may receive special compensation up to the
amount of waived retired pay. CRSC payments were ini-
tially limited to military retirees who, in addition to having
suffered a combat-related disability, had served for at least
20 years. Congress later amended the statute to cover all
combat-disabled retirees who are eligible for retired pay, ef-
fective January 1, 2008. National Defense Authorization
Act for Fiscal Year 2008, § 641, 122 Stat. 156.
The CRSC statute establishes a comprehensive framework
for CRSC claims, governing everything from a claimant's ini-
tial application to the ultimate disbursal of payments. And,
the statute confers upon “[t]he Secretary concerned”
1
au-
thority to effect key determinations throughout this process.
At the beginning of the CRSC claims process, the statute
expressly requires the Secretary concerned to “conside[r]”
whether the applicant is “eligible” for CRSC payments. 10
U. S. C. § 1413a(d).
2
In other words, the Secretary con-
cerned must confrm that the applicant is “entitled to retired
pay” and “has a combat-related disability.” § 1413a(c). The
statute defnes a qualifying “ `combat-related disability' ” as
one that is either “attributable to an injury for which the
1
“ `Secretary concerned' ” refers to the Secretary of the Army, Navy,
Air Force, or Homeland Security, depending on the military department
from which the CRSC applicant retired. 10 U. S. C. § 101(a)(9).
2
Subsection (d) further authorizes the Secretary of Defense to “pre-
scribe procedures and criteria under which a disabled uniformed services
retiree may apply” to the Secretary concerned. § 1413a(d). The Secre-
tary of Defense has set forth those criteria in regulations and program
guidance. See 7B Dept. of Defense, DoD 7000.14–R, Financial Manage-
ment Regulation, ch. 63 (June 2024) (DoD FMR); see also App. 77–107
(Jan. 2004 Guidance). Among other things, the guidance requires CRSC
recipients to be entitled to retired pay and to have a service-connected
disability that the VA rates as at least 10 percent disabling. DoD FMR,
at 63–6 to 63–9, 63–19; App. 83–87.
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365
Opinion of the Court
member was awarded the Purple Heart,” or that the claim-
ant
incurred in armed confict, during hazardous service or
conditions simulating war, or through an instrumentality of
war. § 1413a(e). Disabilities that “are not combat-related”
“will not be considered in determining eligibility for CRSC
or the amount of CRSC payable.” App. 89.
Section 1413a separately establishes how to determine the
monthly amount of CRSC payments to which an eligible
claimant is entitled. Subsection (b)(1) states that “the
monthly amount to be paid . . . for any month is the amount
of compensation to which the retiree is entitled under title
38 for that month, determined without regard to any disabil-
ity of the retiree that is not a combat-related disability.”
Subsection (b)(2) sets a cap on the amount a claimant may
receive. And, subsection (b)(3) provides specifc rules to fol-
low in the case of retirees who are retired under a separate
chapter of Title 10.
The CRSC statute does not include a statute of limitations
or otherwise expressly limit the number of months for which
an applicant may obtain payment.
C
Corporal Simon Soto, petitioner here, served honorably in
the United States Marine Corps from 2000 to 2006. During
the frst of his two tours of duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom,
Soto served in Mortuary Affairs. In that role, Soto “was
assigned to `search for, recover, and process the remains' of
war casualties.” App. 15. He struggled to adjust to civil-
ian life following deployment and eventually received a diag-
nosis for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which his
physicians attributed to his combat experiences. Soto was
medically retired from the Marine Corps in 2006 and re-
ceived numerous medals and commendations for his service.
Soto later sought service-connected disability compensa-
tion from the VA. The VA ultimately assigned him a 100-
percent disability rating for his PTSD, representing “[t]otal
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366 SOTO
v. UNITED STATES
Opinion of the Court
occupational and social impairment,” 38 CFR § 4.130 (2024),
and
awarded Soto disability compensation in June 2009.
In June 2016, Soto submitted an application to the Navy
seeking CRSC payments based on his combat-related PTSD.
The Secretary of the Navy approved Soto for CRSC benefts
in October 2016 and authorized him to receive retroactive
compensation going back six years, to July 2010. The rea-
son that Soto was eligible for only six years' worth of CRSC
payments, the Government explained, was that “CRSC is
subject to the [Barring Act's] 6-year statute of limitations.”
App. 37.
The following year, Soto fled a class-action lawsuit in the
United States District Court for the Southern District of
Texas. He asserted that the Barring Act's 6-year limita-
tions period does not apply to CRSC claims and that he was
therefore entitled to retroactive CRSC payments for the
months dating back to January 1, 2008—the effective date of
the statutory amendment that expanded CRSC eligibility to
include combat-disabled medical retirees who, like him, had
served for fewer than 20 years. See supra, at 364.
After certifying a nationwide class consisting of former
servicemembers “ `whose CRSC applications . . . were
granted, but whose amount of CRSC payment was limited
by [the Barring Act's] statute of limitations,' ” the District
Court entered summary judgment for the class. See 2021
WL 7286022, *1 (SD Tex., Dec. 16, 2021). Because the
CRSC statute “defnes eligibility for CRSC, helps explain
the amount of benefts and instructs the Secretary of De-
fense to prescribe procedures and criteria for individuals to
apply for CRSC,” the court concluded that the statute consti-
tutes “ `another law' ” that “provides its own settlement
mechanism,” and so displaces the Barring Act's settlement
procedures. Id., at *2–*3.
The Federal Circuit reversed. “To confer settlement au-
thority and displace the Barring Act,” the court reasoned, “a
statute must explicitly grant an agency or entity the author-
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367
Opinion of the Court
ity to settle claims.” 92 F. 4th 1094, 1098 (2024). The court
deter
mined that Congress typically confers settlement au-
thority “by use of the term `settle' ” or other “specifc lan-
guage”; absent such language, a statute “cannot displace the
Barring Act, unless another statute provides a `specifc' pro-
vision setting out the period of recovery.” Id., at 1099.
The Federal Circuit thus concluded that the CRSC statute
“only establishes who may be eligible for CRSC payments,
not how claimants can have those claims settled,” and thus
fails to confer settlement authority. Ibid.
Judge Reyna dissented. On his view, several of § 1413a's
provisions, including those that authorize the Secretary con-
cerned to determine CRSC eligibility and the proper amount
of payments, confrm that the statute establishes a process
that meets the common understanding of settlement. Id.,
at 1102–1103.
We granted certiorari to decide whether the CRSC statute
provides a settlement mechanism that displaces the default
procedures and limitations set forth in the Barring Act. See
604 U. S. 1096 (2025).
3
II
A
To decide whether the CRSC statute provides a settle-
ment mechanism that displaces the Barring Act, we frst ad-
dress how this Court has construed “settlement” of claims
against the Government and what is required for a statute
to confer settlement authority.
As both parties recognize, this Court has made clear that
“[t]he word `settlement' in connection with public transac-
tions and accounts has been used from the beginning to de-
3
The Federal Circuit held that CRSC payments are “claims” that in-
volve “ `retired pay,' ” 92 F. 4th, at 1100, and thus that they fall within the
Barring Act's scope. We take these threshold determinations as “[g]iven”
for purposes of this opinion. See 604 U. S. 1096 (2025) (granting certiorari
on a modifed question presented).
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368 SOTO
v. UNITED STATES
Opinion of the Court
scribe administrative determination of the amount due.” Il-
l
inois Surety, 240 U. S., at 219; see Brief for Petitioner 22;
Brief for United States 24. As referenced above, agency
guidance refects this established understanding of “settle-
ment.” See supra, at 363 (citing Principles of Federal Ap-
propriations Law 11–6). Simply put, the authority “to set-
tle” a claim against the United States is the power both to
“ `determine upon the validity of ' ” the claim, and to “deter-
min[e] . . . the amount due” on it. Illinois Surety, 240 U. S.,
at 219–220 (emphasis deleted).
A statute confers settlement authority so long as it vests
an entity with the power to determine both a claim's validity
and amount due. Ibid. We have explained that, in the con-
text of waiving sovereign immunity, Congress need not
“state its intent in any particular way,” or “use magic words”
to effectuate a waiver. Department of Agriculture Rural
Development Rural Housing Service v. Kirtz, 601 U. S. 42,
48–49 (2024) (internal quotation marks omitted). That same
principle applies here. While the most straightforward way
to confer settlement authority may be to “use . . . the term
`settle,' ” 92 F. 4th, at 1099, the presence of that word—or
any other specifc language—is not necessary. Accord, e. g.,
Hernandez v. Department of Air Force, 498 F. 3d 1328, 1330–
1331 (CA Fed. 2007) (holding that Uniformed Services Em-
ployment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, 38 U. S. C.
§§ 4301–4333, conferred settlement authority despite refer-
ring neither to “settlement” nor “claims”); Brief for United
States 26–28 (acknowledging “other statutory formulations
that do not use the word `settle' ” but that nevertheless
“have been found to confer settlement authority”); Tr. of Oral
Arg. 38 (same).
To decide whether a statute constitutes “another law” that
displaces the Barring Act's settlement procedures, 31 U. S. C.
§ 3702(a), we therefore look to the text, context, and struc-
ture of “the entire statutory scheme” at issue, Winkelman v.
Parma City School Dist., 550 U. S. 516, 523 (2007), and ana-
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369
Opinion of the Court
lyze whether the law confers authority to both determine a
clai
m's validity and determine the amount due on the claim.
See Illinois Surety, 240 U. S., at 219–220.
B
The CRSC statute meets these requirements. At the out-
set, the law confers upon “[t]he Secretary concerned” the
“[a]uthority” to pay each “eligible” claimant a “monthly
amount” that is “determined” under the terms of the statute.
10 U. S. C. § 1413a(a). This grant of authority includes the
power to determine both the “ `validity' ” of claims for CRSC
payments and the “amount due” on each claim. Illinois
Surety, 240 U. S., at 219–220 (emphasis deleted).
Regarding validity, the CRSC statute provides that the
Secretary concerned shall “conside[r]” whether a CRSC ap-
plicant is an “eligible” “combat-related disabled uniformed
services retiree.” § 1413a(d). Determining an applicant's
el ig ibi l ity requires the Secret ary concer ned to assess
whether the applicant has followed the “procedures” and met
the “criteria” established by the Secretary of Defense.
Ibid.; see supra, at 364–365; App. 83–90, 92–95 (administra-
tive guidance addressing CRSC criteria, applications, and
bases for eligibility determinations). Because the Secretary
concerned “shall pay” CRSC payments to “each eligible” vet-
eran, § 1413a(a), in this context determining a claimant's
eligibility is tantamount to determining the validity of
his claim. Thus, by charging the Secretary concerned to
“conside[r]” and evaluate each applicant's “eligib[ility],”
§ 1413a(d), the CRSC statute's plain text authorizes the Sec-
retary to “ `determine upon the validity of ' ” a claim for
CRSC payments, Illinois Surety, 240 U. S., at 220 (empha-
sis deleted).
The CRSC statute also confers to the Secretary concerned
authority to “administrative[ly] determin[e] . . . the amount
due” on an eligible veteran's claim. Id., at 219. Subsection
(a) instructs the Secretary to pay a specifc “monthly amount
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370 SOTO
v. UNITED STATES
Opinion of the Court
. . . determined under subsection (b).” Subsection (b), in
tur
n, details precisely how the Secretary will “[d]etermin[e]”
the monthly payments contemplated under subsection (a),
sets a “[m]aximum amount” for these payments, and provides
“[s]pecial rules” that apply to CRSC payments for certain
retirees. §§ 1413a(b)(1)–(3).
4
At bottom, § 1413a establishes a self-contained, compre-
hensive compensation scheme for a narrowly defned group
of exceptionally deserving claimants. Taken as a whole, see
Winkelman, 550 U. S., at 523, the statute's unique combina-
tion of characteristics authorizes the Secretary concerned to
determine both the validity of CRSC claims and the amount
due on them. The statute thus creates a separate settle-
ment mechanism—i. e., “another law”—that displaces the
Barring Act's default settlement procedures, including its
limitations period. 31 U. S. C. § 3702(a).
III
A
The Federal Circuit reached the opposite conclusion below
by imposing undue requirements on Congress's ability to
4
To be sure, both subsections (a) and (b) refer to the monthly CRSC
payments being “determined,” and, being in the passive voice, do not ex-
pressly state who will undertake that action. But, “context can confne a
passive-voice sentence to a likely set of actors,” Bartenwerfer v. Buckley,
598 U. S. 69, 76 (2023), and here we do not think that Congress's use of
the passive voice leaves ambiguity as to who has authority to determine
the amount due on CRSC claims. Again, the statute expressly authorizes
the Secretary concerned to determine a claim's validity at the outset and
to ultimately disburse payment. See §§ 1413a(a), (d). Nothing in the text
suggests that any other person or Government entity interposes between
application and payment to “determin[e]” the amount due on the claims.
§ 1413a(b). Therefore, the most natural reading of subsection (b) is that
it authorizes the same entity that validates and pays claims to conduct
the interim business of determining how much the Government must pay.
Accord, Brief for United States 37 (acknowledging that § 1413a may be
“best read to identify the `Secretary concerned' as the person who should
make the relevant determinations” regarding payment amount).
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Opinion of the Court
confer settlement authority and by disregarding the CRSC
st
atute's plain language.
The Federal Circuit reasoned that for a statute to provide
settlement authority, Congress must use “specifc language”
that authorizes a Government entity to “settle a claim—
which will typically be done by use of the term `settle.' ” 92
F. 4th, at 1099. Absent such language, the court continued,
a statute may authorize settlement only if it “provides a `spe-
cifc' provision setting out the period of recovery.” Ibid.
We reject both premises. As this Court has repeatedly
explained, Congress “need not state its intent in any particu-
lar way,” and “[w]e have never required that Congress use
magic words.” FAA v. Cooper, 566 U. S. 284, 291 (2012); see
also, e. g., Kirtz, 601 U. S., at 48. Thus, even if Congress
“typically” confers the authority to settle claims “by use of
the term `settle,' ” 92 F. 4th, at 1099, that standard practice
does not bind legislators to specifc words or formulations.
It is enough that a statute authorizes an entity to determine
both the validity of a claim and the amount due on it. See
Illinois Surety, 240 U. S., at 219–220.
Nor must a settlement mechanism always feature a “ `spe-
cifc' ” limitations period to ft within the Barring Act's “an-
other law” exception. 92 F. 4th, at 1099. If a statute estab-
lishes a settlement mechanism and thus constitutes “another
law” under § 3702(a), then it nullifes all of the Barring Act's
procedures as to the alternative settlement mechanism—lim-
itations period included. To be sure, Congress's choice to
authorize the settlement of claims may often coincide with a
statute of limitations, and we would not lightly assume that
Congress wished to expose the Government to unlimited lia-
bility. But where, as here, the statutory scheme involves
a small group of particularly deserving claimants, it is not
extraordinary to think that Congress wished to forgo a limi-
tations period. A settlement mechanism does not require a
limitations period. Thus, so long as a statute confers au-
thority to determine the validity of a claim and the amount
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372 SOTO
v. UNITED STATES
Opinion of the Court
due on it, the law displaces the Barring Act in its entirety
irrespec
tive of whether it separately addresses timing.
Further, the CRSC statute clearly authorizes the Se-
cretary concerned to determine CRSC claimants' eligibility
according to specifc criteria, and those criteria say noth-
ing about time limits. See 10 U. S. C. §§ 1413a(a), (c), (d).
Under these circumstances, the most reasonable inference is
that the process of “ `determin[ing] upon the validity' ” of a
CRSC claim simply does not involve applying a defned pe-
riod of recovery. Illinois Surety, 240 U. S., at 220 (emphasis
deleted); see also Tr. of Oral Arg. 60–61 (Government agree-
ing that Congress has created settlement processes that dis-
place the Barring Act but lack limitations periods).
The Federal Circuit's focus on the absence of specifc
words and provisions led it to misinterpret the CRSC stat-
ute. On the Federal Circuit's view, because § 1413a lacks
specifc language and its own limitations period, it estab-
lishes only “who may be eligible for CRSC payments, not
how claimants can have those claims settled.” 92 F. 4th, at
1099. But, that interpretation “is belied by the provisions
of the CRSC statute itself.” Id., at 1104 (Reyna, J., dissent-
ing). The CRSC statute does not merely describe “who may
be eligible,” id., at 1099 (majority opinion); it explicitly in-
structs potential claimants to apply to the Secretary con-
cerned, and vests the Secretary with the authority to deter-
mine those applicants' eligibility, see §§ 1413a(a), (d). And,
contrary to the Federal Circuit's assertion, the statute estab-
lishes exactly “how” the claims will be settled, id., at 1099—
again, by granting the Secretary “[a]uthority” to “conside[r]”
applicants' eligibility, and then prescribing how the Secre-
tary will “determin[e]” the amount due. §§ 1413a(a), (b), (d);
see supra, at 364–365.
B
The Government's arguments for affrmance are no more
persuasive. To start, the Government agrees that a statute

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373
Opinion of the Court
may authorize settlement without necessarily using the word
“settle
,” Brief for United States 26, 41–42, yet, echoing the
Federal Circuit, insists that a statute still must feature “hall-
mark formulations” to confer settlement authority, Tr. of
Oral Arg. 42. Such “hallmark formulations,” the Govern-
ment tells us, include language that “speak[s] of claims being
allowed or disallowed,” “refer[s] to a fnding being fnal and
conclusive,” or designates “authority to sue or be sued.”
Id., at 38, 65; see also Brief for United States 26–28. But,
it is diffcult to see how the Government's “hallmark formula-
tions” inquiry does not devolve into the same sort of “ `magic
words' ” test that we have so often denounced. Kirtz, 601
U. S., at 48–49. As with the Federal Circuit's demand for
specifc language and provisions, we reject the Government's
“formulations”-focused attempt to limit the ways that Con-
gress may convey settlement authority.
The Government similarly reprises the Federal Circuit's
assertion that the CRSC statute does not authorize settle-
ment because it lacks any “timing requirement,” and further
insists that our reading “supplant[s]” the Barring Act's limi-
tations period “through [Congress's] silence.” Brief for
United States 17, 30–32. For the reasons we have already
explained, we disagree with the proposition that a settlement
mechanism must include a limitations period to displace the
Barring Act. See supra, at 371. And, the Government's
assertion that our interpretation permits the CRSC statute
sub silentio to “supplant” the Barring Act misunderstands
the CRSC statute. In enacting § 1413a, Congress did not
displace the Barring Act's limitations period through “si-
lence”; Congress displaced the Barring Act's procedures and
limitations by authorizing the Secretary concerned to deter-
mine the validity and amount due on—and thus to settle—
CRSC claims. See §§ 1413a(a), (b), (d); supra, at 369–371.
The Government also resists the conclusion that § 1413a
confers authority to “determin[e] the amount `due' ” on a
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374 SOTO
v. UNITED STATES
Opinion of the Court
claim for CRSC payments. Brief for United States 24. Ac-
cordi
ng to the Government, such a determination “involves
more than assessing whether the claim has merit or calculat-
ing what the claimant might be owed”; it “may also entail
. . . auditing the relevant account, making adjustments for
any applicable debts or offsets, and effecting a fnal disposi-
tion.” Ibid. Because the CRSC statute does not explicitly
assign this level of auditing and adjustment, the Government
suggests that it does not permit the Secretary concerned to
determine the amount due, and thus cannot establish a mech-
anism for settling CRSC claims.
This argument proves too much. The Barring Act indis-
putably confers settlement authority, yet it says nothing
about audits or offsets. Instead, it simply authorizes the
settlement of “claims.” 31 U. S. C. § 3702(a). The CRSC
statute confers comparable settlement authority, see supra,
at 369–371, and is likewise silent as to the extra accounting
procedures that the Government contemplates. We decline
the Government's invitation to read additional requirements
into the “administrative determination of the amount due.”
Illinois Surety, 240 U. S., at 219.
Finally, the Government warns that if the CRSC stat-
ute “create[s] an independent settlement mechanism,” then
every statute containing even one of § 1413a's relevant “fea-
tures” might also displace the Barring Act, and in turn
“destabilize” various Government programs. See Brief for
United States 36–41. The conclusion does not follow the
premise. In holding that the CRSC statute confers author-
ity to settle claims for CRSC payments, we do not suggest
that each singular component or subsection of the statute is
independently suffcient to establish settlement authority.
To the contrary, we hold only that § 1413a's separate subsec-
tions—in combination—create a comprehensive CRSC ben-
efts regime spanning from application to payment, and that,
within this framework, Congress has authorized the Secre-
tary concerned to determine both the validity of applicants'
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as: 605 U. S. 360 (2025)
375
Opinion of the Court
CRSC claims and the amount due on them. See supra, at
369
–371.
5
In all events, while we acknowledge that the Barring Act's
limitations period plays an important role in managing the
Government's potential retroactive liability, “we will not pre-
sume . . . that any result consistent with [the Government's]
account of the statute's overarching goal must be the law.”
Henson v. Santander Consumer USA Inc., 582 U. S. 79, 89
(2017). Even if we thought sound policy called for a nar-
rower carveout to the Barring Act's procedures than the “an-
other law” exception that Congress enacted, 31 U. S. C.
§ 3702(a), that policy choice is a “matte[r] for Congress, not
this Court, to resolve,” Henson, 582 U. S., at 90.
***
The judgment of the Court of Appeals is reversed, and
the case is remanded for further proceedings consistent with
this opinion.
It is so ordered.
5
As the Government itself recognized at oral argument, the number of
statutes that include all of the material features of the CRSC statute—as
opposed to just one or some of those features—appears to be relatively
small. See Tr. of Oral Arg. 47–52 (referring to “six statutes” that argua-
bly authorize a Government entity to determine both the validity of a
claim and the amount due). Notwithstanding this acknowledgment, the
Government has “reserv[ed] the right to distinguish” these statutes, id.,
at 51, and we express no view as to whether any other statute displaces
the Barring Act in a way analogous to the CRSC statute.
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Reporter’s Note
The attached opinion has been revised to refect the usual publication
and citation style of the United States Reports. The revised pagination
makes available the offcial United States Reports citation in advance of
publication. The syllabus has been prepared by the Reporter of Decisions
for the convenience of the reader and constitutes no part of the opinion of
the Court. A list of counsel who argued or fled briefs in this case, and
who were members of the bar of this Court at the time this case was
argued, has been inserted following the syllabus. Other revisions may
include adjustments to formatting, captions, citation form, and any errant
punctuation. The following additional edits were made:
p. 373, line 4 from bottom: “on” is inserted after “due”