IF PASSED, THE MAJOR RICHARD STAR ACT WOULD PROVIDE VETS FULL PAY & DISABILITY BENEFITS
For years, there has been support for passing the Major Richard Star Act and now, Senators are working to get the latest rendition made into law. If the bill passes, tens of thousands of medically retired Veterans would receive a substantial boost to their benefits, providing both retirement pay and disability from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Major Richard Star Act Would Help 50,000 Medically Retired Veterans
Bipartisan members of Congress are working together to pass the Major Richard Star Act, a bill that would provide Veterans who have medically retired from service with both military retirement pay and disability benefits.
If successful, around 50,000 Vets would get both full retirement pay and disability benefits, a notable improvement as current regulations do not permit this.
As it stands, medically retired Veterans who served for less than 20 years and are provided a disability rating under 50% will have their retirement pay reduced by a dollar for every dollar provided to them by the VA.
In other words, this allows “concurrent receipt," eliminating what has been a subtraction many believe is unfair to those who have defended our nation through their sacrifice.
“This legislation makes a critical change to treat our Veterans fairly and support our nation's heroes. I urge my colleagues to support its quick passage,” said Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL.), one of the bill’s co-sponsors.
The Bill Was First Introduced in 2023
While there’s a push to make the Major Richard Star Act a law, even with the support it has, there are hurdles to clear.
Introduced years ago in 2023, the bill received 326 supporters in the U.S. House of Representatives and over 70 in the Senate; however, it wasn’t brought up for vote because there wasn’t enough in place on how to cover paying for the legislation.
Estimates in 2022, by the Congressional Budget Office showed that it was likely going to cost around $9.75 billion within a decade to pay for the change.
This bill came to be after Army Reserve Maj. Richard Star developed lung cancer while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Unfortunately, he had a medical retirement after receiving a diagnosis of terminal cancer. Once discovering that his VA disability benefits would offset his military retirement pay, Star began seeking change.
Sadly, Star passed away in 2021, but his movement continues with this bill as lawmakers work to right this wrong.
"Military retirement pay and service-connected disability compensation are two completely different benefits. One does not diminish the merits of the other," said Gus Bilirakis, (R-FL.), who is working to make the bill a law.
House Drafts a 2025 Version
As of this writing, the House’s version of the Major Richard Star Act has 185 cosponsors from both sides of the aisle, while the Senate’s version finds support through its 43 sponsors.
Almost 50 Veteran organizations have supported the bill, with many looking at the Major Richard Star Act as a top priority for the community.
Due to similar changes helping Social Security recipients who previously had certain pensions offset being done away with through legislation, specifically, the Social Security Fairness Act, there is hope that Veterans will receive the same treatment.
"Far too long, Veterans and their families have been told to wait while billions are wasted," said AMVETS National Commander Horace Johnson, while speaking to Congress in a hearing.
When Will the Major Richard Star Act Be Voted On?
It’s still unclear when the Major Richard Star Act will be voted on, if at all. However, we’re hoping for some sort of positive resolution for Veterans sooner rather than later in 2025.
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