Major Richard Star Act

Key Points

• This bill would allow veterans who were forced to retire early due to combat-related injuries to receive their full military retirement pay and their VA disability compensation at the same time. Currently, many of these veterans have their retirement pay reduced by the amount of disability pay they receive.
• The change specifically helps 'Chapter 61' retirees, who are service members medically retired with fewer than 20 years of service because of injuries sustained in combat or combat-related training. It aims to end what many veterans' groups call an unfair 'offset' that forces injured heroes to give up part of the pension they earned.
• If passed, the new rules would take effect on the first day of the first month after the bill is signed into law. This would provide a significant monthly income boost for thousands of veterans who were injured in the line of duty and could no longer serve a full 20-year career.
• The bill has massive bipartisan support, with Rep. Bilirakis and over 150 co-sponsors from both parties signing on at the time of introduction. This broad support highlights a shared goal of ensuring that combat-injured veterans receive the full value of the benefits they were promised.