The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday against the federal government in a class-action suit over combat-related special compensation, paving the way for an estimated 9,000 retired service members to receive thousands of dollars in retroactive pay.

In a 9-0 ruling, the justices said that a law the government applied to limit retroactive pay to six years did not apply in the case of a Marine corporal who sought combat-related disability pay.

Simon Soto enlisted in the Marine Corps in August 2000 and served two tours in Iraq in mortuary affairs. He developed post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his job and medically retired in 2006.

n 2009, he was awarded disability compensation for his medical condition by the Department of Veterans Affairs and, in 2016, he applied for combat-related special compensation -- pay that is awarded to some service members who retire as a result of a service-connected medical condition.