Washington DC: America has the fiercest military fighting force in the world. It spends billions of dollars each year, far more than any other country, to make sure our troops have the latest and greatest equipment and are properly trained to face any adversary threatening our way of life.
America will stop at nothing to stay this way.
But many veteran advocates feel our country falls short on taking care of our service members after they leave the military.
The old adage is that our troops take care of America while in service, so America should take care of them after service.
There are significant benefits and services for veterans but many advocates feel more could be done.
The Major Richard Star Act
The Major Richard Star Act is the next example. It is bipartisan legislation introduced in both the House (H.R. 2102) and Senate (S. 1032). The purpose is to allow certain medically retired combat veterans to receive both full military retirement pay and VA disability compensation at the same time.
Under current law, veterans who were medically retired with fewer than 20 years of service lose a portion of their retirement pay dollar-for-dollar when they receive VA disability compensation. This is often referred to as the “wounded veteran tax" and viewed by many as simple unfair treatment due to acts beyond the control of the servicemember.
The Star Act would eliminate that offset for eligible combat-injured veterans.
Read the official bill HERE.
Common sense dictates that the bill would be seamlessly and expeditiously passed on the first go around through the legislative process.
But it has not.
It continues to stall with the Armed Services Committee. This, and other similar committees, decide if a bill gets a hearing. But without a hearing, a bill can stall despite having strong, even bipartisan, support.
"Although this legislation advanced in the last Congress, it never received a public hearing where veterans and experts could testify, and members could ask questions on the record. As a result, concerns about the bill have continued to be discussed privately instead of publicly examined," a representative from the Veterans of Foreign Wars said.
For medically retired veterans (if and when it gets passed and implemented) the act would:
• Restore full military retirement pay for combat-injured veterans who were forced to medically retire before 20 years
• Allow concurrent receipt of VA disability compensation and DoD retirement pay
• Impact an estimated 50,000+ veterans
• Correct a long-standing inequity that penalizes service members injured in the line of duty
Read more information from the bill sponsors HERE.
Why the Bill Has Not Passed
Despite broad bipartisan support, the Major Richard Star Act has stalled due to procedural and budgetary objections in Congress.
Key reasons include:
• Senate leadership has not allowed a full vote on the bill
• Concerns about cost, despite the relatively small impact compared to the overall defense budget
• Claims of “double dipping,” even though military retirement and VA disability are legally separate benefits
• Failure to include the bill in must-pass legislation such as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)
As a result, the bill has repeatedly been blocked at the committee level rather than defeated by a full vote.
The Major Richard Star Act continues to have strong bipartisan and veteran community support, but has been stopped by procedural barriers and budget politics rather than a lack of merit.
We urge you to contact your local representative and voice your concerns over this issue. America must always support our veteran community, especially a combat-wounded veteran!
Find your local representative HERE.
-------------------------------------------
Comments