A petition to force a vote on the Major Richard Start Act reached 218 signatures on Wednesday, paving the way for a U.S. House vote on the bill.
The Major Richard Star Act, introduced in the Senate and House by bipartisan lawmakers in March 2025, would allow certain veterans who suffered combat-related injuries that made them cut their military careers short to receive both military retirement pay and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation.
The Act is also contained within pending legislation in Congress, the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, which includes dozens of provisions. The bill has drawn scrutiny by some lawmakers, veterans and veterans service organizations, mostly due to what’s known as Section 108, with critics bemoaning the legal reduction of future disability payouts for tinnitus and sleep apnea.
Currently, medically retired service members with fewer than 20 years of service who receive retirement from the Defense Department have their pay reduced by a dollar for every dollar they receive from the VA. The Major Richard Star Act would eliminate that offset.
How This Petition Unraveled
Some 59,000 medically retired veterans currently receive Combat-Related Special Compensation.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the change would increase their total compensation by an average of roughly $1,450 per month.
Rep. Paul Ruiz (D-Calif.) filed the discharge petition on May 21 and campaigned for legislators to co-sign it.
“While this is a victory worth celebrating, the fight continues to deliver justice for our veterans, who for years have lived with the injustice of being forced to medically retire due to combat-related injuries, penalized and unable to receive both their disability compensation and their retirement pay in full,” Ruiz said in a statement.
Now, the real work begins with this bipartisan bill. It is time for Congress to show our veterans that their sacrifice was not in vain and that we are here to support them.
Every House Democrat signed the petition and five Republicans joined them, including outgoing Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.)
“Washington has no business nickel-and-diming veterans who were willing to put their lives on the line for ours,” Mace told Stars and Stripes. “Combat-injured veterans have waited long enough. It’s time to bring the Major Richard Star Act to the floor and let Congress vote.”
Veterans’ Groups Push For Passage
The bill, named after an Army combat veteran who died of service-connected cancer in 2021 while campaigning for the legislation, was also previously announced in 2023.
Then, it garnered 326 supporters in the House and more than 70 in the Senate. Ultimately, it failed to be considered for a vote, largely because it did not include recommendations for covering the cost.
In its current form, the bill has 340 cosponsors in the House, and 80 in the Senate.
Veterans’ advocacy groups celebrated the petition’s success.
“We are looking forward to the House bringing the Major Richard Star Act to the floor as a clean stand-alone bill that will provide long-overdue benefits to tens of thousands of veterans,” said Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America CEO Kyleanne Hunter in a statement.
“No more delays. It’s time for action,” Disabled American Veterans said in a statement.
Now, the petition must sit for seven legislative days before it can be called up. But due to Congress being on recess, this will happen when members return to the House in November.
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