House Passes Bill Ending Disability Pay Offset for Injured Veterans

The House voted 392-18 to pass the Major Richard Star Act, which would allow about 58,000 combat-injured veterans to collect their full military retirement pay and VA disability compensation simultaneously. Currently, the VA reduces disability payments for those already receiving retirement pay, creating a financial penalty for injured service members who remained on active duty long enough to earn a retirement benefit.

Affected veterans could recover somewhere between $500 and $2,500 or more annually depending on their rank and disability rating. The total cost to the VA is projected in the hundreds of millions over a decade. The legislation received support from all Democrats and 18 Republicans opposed it.