Let me tell you something that still makes my blood boil.
If you get wounded in combat, medically retired, and the VA rates you for a disability connected to your service — the government takes money from one pocket to put it in the other. Your military retirement pay gets reduced dollar-for-dollar by whatever you receive in VA disability compensation.### 3. Get Your
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You read that right. They offset one benefit against the other. For combat wounds.
This isn’t some bureaucratic edge case. It affects roughly 54,000 medically retired veterans right now. And Congress has known about it for over a decade.
The Richard Star Act would fix it. It’s biGet Your Documentation
partisan. It has massive support. And as of March 2026, it’s back in front of Congress with renewed momentum.
Here’s what you need to know.
What Is Concurrent Receipt — And
When you retire from the military, you earn retirement pay based on your years of service and rank. Separately, if you have service-connected disabilities, the VA compensates you for those.
For most retirees with 20+ years and a VA rating of 50% or higher, Congress already fixed this back in 2004 with the Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) and Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) programs.
But here’s the gap: if you were medically retired with fewer than 20 years of service and your VA disability rating is below 50%, you don’t qualify for either program. Your VA disability pay directly offsets your retirement pay.
Translation: you served, you got hurt, you were forced out — and instead of getting both benefits you earned, one cancels the other out.
Who Was Richard Star?
The act is named after Major Richard A. Star, U.S. Army, who was a passionate advocate for concurrent receipt reform. Major Star served multiple combat tours and was medically retired due to injuries sustained in service. He spent years fighting for this legislation before passing away from lung cancer linked to toxic exposures.
The bill carries his name because he embodied exactly who it’s meant to help — a combat-wounded veteran who gave everything and then had to fight his own government for benefits he’d already earned.
What the Richard Star Act Would Do
The bill is straightforward:
* Eliminate the VA disability offset for medically retired veterans with combat-related disabilities
Allow eligible veterans to receive both full military retirement pay and full VA disability compensation
Apply to veterans who are medically retired, qualify for CRSC, and have a combat-related disability of at least 10%
No means testing. No phase-in over 10 years. Just give combat-wounded veterans what they earned.
If you’re one of the roughly 54,000 veterans affected, this could mean thousands of dollars per year that you’re currently leaving on the table — not because you don’t qualify, but because of an arbitrary offset that Congress hasn’t gotten around to fixing.
If you’re not sure whether this applies to you, it’s worth understanding the full landscape of your federal benefits. Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents, and Survivors is an updated reference guide that breaks down everything you’re entitled to — from disability compensation and retirement to survivor benefits and state-level programs. Keep it on your shelf. Benefits change, and you don’t want to miss what’s yours.
Where Does It Stand in 2026?
As of early March, the Richard Star Act has been reintroduced in both the House and Senate with strong bipartisan backing. According to Military Times, recent hearings featured testimony from DAV, VFW, and Fleet Reserve Association leadership — all calling for immediate passage.
Senator Jerry Moran, a key cosponsor, said it plainly: “Combat-injured veterans have upheld their oath. They have fulfilled their duties. The question before us is whether we will fulfill ours.”
The bill needs to clear the Senate Armed Services Committee before a full vote. That’s where it’s stalled before. The stated obstacle has always been the same: cost. CBO estimates put the price tag around $8-10 billion over 10 years.
For context, that’s roughly what the Pentagon spends every 3-4 days.
## The Bigger Picture: A Pattern of Delayed Promises
The Richard Star Act doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Right now, veterans are dealing with:
– The VA medication rating rule — a policy that would evaluate disability ratings based on how you function on medication rather than the underlying severity of your condition. The VFW forced VA to halt it in February, but it’s not dead
CBO proposals to means-test disability compensation, require minimum 30% ratings for any payment, and reduce payments by 30% at age 67
1.2 million veterans potentially locked out of dual GI Bill benefits they’re legally entitled to, according to Newsweek
This is the environment. Promises made, enforcement delayed, veterans left to fight for what’s already theirs.
You don’t need to be paranoid. But you do need to be informed and organized. I keep a veteran-themed mug on my desk that says “My Oath Never Expires” — and honestly, it’s a daily reminder that the fight for what we earned doesn’t stop when we take the uniform off. It’s a small thing, but some mornings you need that reminder before you start making calls.
What You Can Do Right Now
1. Know If This Affects You
The Richard Star Act applies to you if:
– You were medically retired (not voluntarily separated)
You have a combat-related disability rated at 10% or higher
Your VA disability compensation currently offsets your military retirement pay
If you’re not sure, check your retirement pay statement against your VA award letter. If the numbers don’t add up, the offset is probably hitting you.
2. Contact Your Representatives
This bill lives or dies in committee. Call or write your Senator and House representative. Tell them:
– Your name, that you’re a constituent and a veteran
You support the Richard Star Act
Ask them to cosponsor if they haven’t already
The VFW, DAV, and Fleet Reserve Association all have action centers that let you send pre-drafted letters with one click.
3. Get Your Documentation in Order
Whether or not this bill passes soon, having your records squared away protects you. If concurrent receipt becomes law, the transition will go smoother for veterans whose files are clean.
Understanding how disability systems work — not just for veterans, but the broader landscape — can sharpen your ability to advocate for yourself. Demystifying Disability by Emily Ladau isn’t written specifically for veterans, but it’s one of the best books on understanding disability rights, language, and advocacy. It’ll change how you frame your own experience when talking to legislators, the VA, or anyone else.
4. Stay Connected
Follow the bill’s progress through:
– Military Times — best source for legislative updates
VA Claims Insider — breaks down policy changes in plain English
CombatProse.com — we’ll keep covering this
The Bottom Line
Fifty-four thousand combat-wounded veterans are getting shortchanged every month by a policy that everyone agrees is wrong but nobody has fixed. The Richard Star Act has bipartisan support, endorsement from every major veterans organization, and clear moral weight behind it.
The only thing missing is enough political pressure to push it across the finish line.
If this affects you, don’t sit on it. If it doesn’t affect you but you know someone it does — share this article with them. This is one of those fights where awareness actually moves the needle.
We held up our end. Time for Congress to hold up theirs.
Resources
– Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents, and Survivors — Updated reference guide covering all federal and state veteran benefits, disability compensation, retirement, and survivor programs
Rogue River Tactical “My Oath Never Expires” Veteran Mug — Because some mornings you need a reminder of who you are before you start fighting the bureaucracy
Demystifying Disability by Emily Ladau — A clear, practical guide to disability rights and advocacy that sharpens how you frame your own fight