House passes Major Richard Star Act to end retirement pay offset

Overview

Updated 46 minutes ago

About 59,000 veterans were forced out of the military early by combat injuries. Under current law, every dollar of VA disability pay they receive is subtracted from their military retirement pay. On Nov. 12, the House voted 392-18 to end that offset.

The Major Richard Star Act now goes to the Senate. A Republican package passed the House a day earlier carries a modified version of the same benefit, paid for with cuts to other disability ratings. Both would raise affected veterans' combined pay by an average of about $1,450 a month.

Why it matters

If either bill becomes law, roughly 59,000 combat-injured veterans would collect an average of about $17,400 more a year.

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Key Indicators

392–18

House vote on the Star Act

The standalone bill passed with broad bipartisan support on Nov. 12, 2026.

~59,000

Veterans affected

Combat-injured veterans medically retired with fewer than 20 years of service.

$1,450

Average monthly increase

Congressional Budget Office estimate of the added combined pay per veteran.

$12.75B

Projected 10-year cost

CBO projection for the standalone Star Act.

218

Discharge petition signatures

The threshold Rep. Nancy Mace's signature cleared on Sept. 15, 2026, forcing a floor vote.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Richard Star

Army Reserve combat engineer and namesake of the bill

Died Feb. 13, 2021, at age 51

Gus Bilirakis

Republican U.S. representative from Florida, lead House sponsor

In Congress; bill passed the House

Mark Takano

Ranking Democrat on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee

In Congress; led the discharge petition

Richard Blumenthal

Democratic U.S. senator from Connecticut, Senate sponsor

Awaiting Senate action on S. 1032

Nancy Mace

Republican U.S. representative from South Carolina

In Congress

Jerry Moran

Republican U.S. senator from Kansas, chair of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee

Controls Senate committee agenda

Raul Ruiz

Democratic U.S. representative from California, co-lead House sponsor

In Congress

Organizations Involved

House Committee on Veterans' Affairs

Congressional Committee

Advanced the Star Act; committee Democrats led the discharge effort

The House panel with jurisdiction over veterans benefits and the bill's early legislative path.

Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs

Congressional Committee

Now holds both House-passed bills

The Senate panel that will decide which version of the benefit advances.

Disabled American Veterans

Veterans Service Organization

Opposed the TCAVA package

A major veterans group that opposed funding the Star Act through cuts to other disability benefits.

Wounded Warrior Project

Veterans Service Organization

Applauded House passage

A veterans nonprofit that backed the standalone Star Act.

Congressional Budget Office

Legislative branch agency

Produced the cost estimate

Congress's nonpartisan scorekeeper for legislation costs.

Timeline

2020 November 2026

11 events Latest: Yesterday Showing 8 of 11

Tap a bar to jump to that date

November 2026
House passes Star Act 392-18
Latest Legislation

The standalone bill ends the retirement pay offset and heads to the Senate.
Yesterday
House passes TCAVA by voice vote
Legislation

The Republican package carries a modified Star Act and cuts to tinnitus and sleep apnea ratings.
2 days ago
October 2026
CBO scores the bill
Analysis

The office estimates a $1,450 monthly average increase and $12.75 billion 10-year cost.
October 27th, 2026
September 2026
Discharge petition reaches 218 signatures
Legislation

Rep. Nancy Mace supplies the signature that clears the threshold.
September 15th, 2026
June 2026
Republicans introduce TCAVA package
Legislation

The package folds in a modified Star Act alongside dozens of other veterans provisions.
June 10th, 2026
May 2026
Takano files discharge petition
Legislation

The petition, H.R. 1247, aims to force a floor vote on the Star Act.
May 21st, 2026
2025
Reintroduced as H.R. 2102 and S. 1032
Legislation

The bill draws more than 330 House cosponsors and 79 in the Senate.
2025
2023
Bill reaches Consensus Calendar, no vote
Legislation

The bill draws 290 House cosponsors but still does not get a floor vote.
2023
September 2021
Rules Committee blocks NDAA amendment
Legislation

The House Rules Committee refuses to add the bill to the defense bill because it lacked an offset.
September 2021
February 2021
Richard Star dies at 51
Death

The bill's namesake dies after cancer linked to burn pit exposure.
February 13th, 2021
2020
Star Act first introduced
Legislation

Rep. Gus Bilirakis introduces the bill in the 116th Congress.
2020

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Scenarios

Senate passes the standalone Star Act and it becomes law

Possible Resolves by Jan 3, 2027

Discussed by: Sen. Richard Blumenthal, VFW, Wounded Warrior Project, AFGE

The Senate takes up S. 1032 or the House-passed H.R. 2102 and passes it without the TCAVA offsets. The bill has 79 Senate cosponsors, but Republican senators have blocked it six times, and the Senate has no discharge petition equivalent. If signed, payments would start the first month after enactment.

Senate takes up TCAVA and its modified Star Act becomes law

Unlikely Resolves by Jan 3, 2027

Discussed by: Sen. Jerry Moran, House Republican leaders

The Senate passes the broader Take Care of America's Veterans Act, which pairs a modified Star Act with changes to how sleep apnea and tinnitus are rated for future claims. Democrats and veterans groups including Disabled American Veterans oppose the package over those cuts. Blumenthal has said it will be defeated in the Senate.

Both bills stall and the Congress ends without enactment

Possible Resolves by Jan 3, 2027

Discussed by: Senate procedural history, Blumenthal and Moran statements

The Senate does not act on either bill before the 119th Congress ends on Jan. 3, 2027. Any bill not cleared by both chambers by then must start over, and the six-year cycle of reintroduction would repeat.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

August 2022

PACT Act (2022)

Congress passed and President Biden signed the PACT Act, expanding VA health care and disability benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances. Star's terminal cancer was linked to burn pit exposure during Middle East deployments.

Then

The law opened VA care and presumptive disability claims to millions of toxic-exposed veterans.

Now

It established a framework for presuming conditions linked to service exposure rather than requiring veterans to prove each case.

Why this matters now

Star's own illness came from the same burn pit exposure the PACT Act addressed. The Star Act targets a separate gap: the retirement pay offset for those forced out early.

June 2019

Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act (2019)

Congress extended VA disability benefits to Navy veterans who served in waters off Vietnam and were exposed to Agent Orange, after years of advocacy by veterans groups.

Then

Thousands of previously excluded sailors became eligible for disability compensation.

Now

It showed that benefit gaps defined by service circumstances can be closed by legislation, though usually after multi-year campaigns.

Why this matters now

Like the Star Act, it was a narrow fix to a specific eligibility gap that took years of repeated legislative attempts to move.