We’re not going to rest until we pass the Major Richard Star Act.
That was the message a group of lawmakers, veterans and Veterans Service Organizations brought to Capitol Hill during a press conference on Tuesday.
The Maj. Richard Star Act would fix an injustice that prevents combat-injured veterans with less than 20 years of military service from receiving their full military benefits, Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said.
As the law currently stands, combat-injured veterans who were forced to retire before completing 20 years of service with a disability rating of less than 50% have their retirement pay docked by a dollar for every dollar of disability pay they receive.
“These are veterans who have been injured in combat that had no choice but to leave the military,” Tester stressed. “They were forced to leave the military before completing 20 years of service.”
The legislation has broad bipartisan support in both the House of Representatives, where it has more than 320 co-sponsors, and the Senate, where it has more than 70. However, it has been hung up in the House Armed Services Committee due to concerns about how it would be paid for.
Tester added that the bill has the support of more than two-thirds of the Senate and is a top priority for miltiary and Veterans Service Organizations.
“And with damn good reason: because getting it across the finish line will make a big difference in veterans’ lives,” he said. “With an all-volunteer military, we need to live up to the promises we’ve made to our veterans and that starts with passing the Major Richard Star Act.”
The legislation is named in honor of Star, a decorated Iraq and Afghanistan veteran who was forced to retire before completing 20 years of service following a diagnosis of lung cancer related to being exposed to burn pits. He died in 2021.
Star’s widow Tonya said her husband’s greatest goal was to pass the legislation.
"These men and women earned their retirements the hard way, and Richard made myself, along with many of you, promise that we would not stop until we got this done. It hasn't been an easy road to travel,” she said. “I know many of you, like myself, were in offices today advocating for this bill. I cannot thank you enough for all of your support. We are closer than we have ever been. We're going to get it done this year."
Tester is confident that VSOs and the veteran community can come together to get the legislation passed.
"We saw it with the PACT Act,” he said. “We saw veterans step up and make a big difference and actually, the truth is, got the bill passed in the United States Senate. We're going to have to do it again with the Major Richard Star Act."
Montana Veterans of Foreign Wars Adjutant/Quartermaster Tim Peters said veterans can not afford to continue losing their full, earned military retirement pay because Congress insists on saving money at their expense.
“It’s objectively wrong,” he said. “Many of these vets are Purple Heart recipients and it is wrong to withhold their retirement pay because they got hurt in battle and were unable to finish their tour of duty to accomplish twenty years of service. The Major Richard Star Act continues to have overwhelming, bipartisan support in both chambers, and it’s time we stop talking about it and pass the Richard Star Act. Get it done.”
Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) the bill’s lead sponsor in the House, echoed Peters and Tester.
"This is a righteous cause," he said.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.