House Passes Major Richard Star Act 392-18, Ending Retirement Pay Offset for Some 59,000 Combat-Injured Veterans
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Major Richard Star Act (H.R. 2102) in Washington on November 12 by a vote of 392 to 18. The House Committee on Veterans' Affairs announced the passage the same day, saying the bill eliminates the retirement pay offset applied to roughly 59,000 medically retired, combat-injured veterans, ending a six-year fight.
Under current rules, those veterans, forced out of service early by their wounds, must give up one dollar of military retirement pay for every dollar of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation they receive. Retirees who served 20 years collect both in full. The bill eliminates that dollar-for-dollar offset.
Roll Call 323, published by the Office of the Clerk of the House, shows the vote was held at 10:59 a.m. on November 12, with 392 yeas, 18 nays and 23 members not voting. By party, Democrats voted 210 to 0 in favor, Republicans 181 to 18, and the chamber's one independent voted yea.
Rep. Gus Bilirakis first introduced the bill in 2020 and has reintroduced it in each Congress since, together with Rep. Raul Ruiz. The current version is H.R. 2102 in the House, with a Senate companion, S. 1032. On May 21, 2026, Rep. Mark Takano filed a discharge petition to force the bill toward a floor vote, and on September 15, Rep. Nancy Mace provided the 218th signature the petition needed.
The bill is named for Major Richard Star, a U.S. Army Reserve soldier who advocated for it publicly while battling cancer and died on February 13, 2021, at age 51.
Ranking Member Mark Takano said that six years ago Major Star asked Congress to fix this, and that he died before Congress could. He said the House had now done what a bipartisan majority had wanted to do for years, through a discharge petition and 218 signatures and veterans who refused to quit, and that combat-injured veterans would finally keep what they earned. Rep. Raul Ruiz called the passage a historic victory for combat-wounded veterans and their families, said the bill ends what he called the wounded veteran tax so those veterans receive both the retirement pay and the disability compensation they earned, and said the Senate must now act.
The bill is backed by dozens of veterans service organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans and The American Legion. It must still pass the Senate and be signed by the President before it becomes law. The Senate companion, S. 1032, led by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, awaits action, and until those steps are complete the current offset remains in place.
Source: U.S. House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国国会大厦西立面全景（华盛顿）。四级图库联邦核心包，国会大厦固定图，公共领域。 / Photo: West front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Federal core asset pack, public domain.
