Major Richard Star Act would provide combat-injured veterans with full earned disability compensation and retirement pay
May 21, 2025
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen, Angela Alsobrooks (Both D-Md.) joined Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), to reintroduce S. 1032, the Major Richard Star Act. This bipartisan legislation would provide combat-injured veteran retirees their full benefits.
“We owe our veterans a debt we can never fully repay – but we can ensure they receive the support they deserve when they return home. That’s why it’s unacceptable that our combat-injured veterans are not guaranteed to receive their full retirement benefits. This bipartisan legislation would right this wrong, ensuring over 50,000 combat-injured veterans receive the disability compensation and retirement benefits they deserve after sacrificing so much for our nation,” said Senator Van Hollen.
“We have an obligation to do more than just thank our veterans for their service. We owe combat-injured veteran retirees their full benefits, and this bipartisan legislation does just that. These critical benefits were earned by veterans’ service. We owe it to them to get this passed,” said Senator Alsobrooks.
Currently, only veterans with disability ratings above 50 percent and more than 20 years of service are eligible to receive the full amount of their U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) retirement and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability payments, leaving behind more than 50,000 combat-injured military retirees. The Major Richard Star Act would fix this unjust policy for retired combat veterans providing them full VA disability and DOD retirement payments earned by their service.
Maryland is home to approximately 360,000 veterans and another 100,000 active duty service members.
The bipartisan legislation is named in honor of Major Richard A. Star, a decorated war veteran who was forced to medically retire due to his combat-related injuries. Major Star sadly lost his battle with cancer on February 13, 2021.
The bipartisan effort to provide combat-injured veterans their due benefits is supported by the Air Force Sergeants Association (AFSA), Air & Space Forces Association (AFA), American GI Forum, The American Legion, American Military Society, American Veterans (AMVETS), Armed Forces Retiree Association, Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA), Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS), Association of the United States Army (AUSA), Association of the United States Navy (AUSN), Blinded Veterans Association (BVA), Burn Pits 360, Chief Warrant Officers Association of the US Coast Guard (CWOA), Commissioned Officers Association of the U.S. Public Health Service, Inc. (COA), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States, Fleet Reserve Association (FRA), Heroes Athletic Association, Gold Star Wives of America (GSW), Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America (JWV), K9s for Warriors, Marine Corps League (MCL), Marine Corps Reserve Association (MCRA), Military Chaplains Association of the United States of America (MCA), Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH), Mission Roll Call, National Defense Committee, National Military Family Association (NMFA), Naval Enlisted Reserve Association (NERA), Non-Commissioned Officers Association (NCOA), Operation First Response, Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), Quality of Life Foundation, Reserve Organization of America (ROA), Stronghold Freedom Foundation, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), The Retired Enlisted Association (TREA), The Independence Fund (TIF), United States Army Warrant Officers Association (USAWOA), USCG Chief Petty Officers Association (CPOA), VetsFirst/United Spinal Association, Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Wounded Paw Project and Wounded Warrior Project (WWP).
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