The House passes the Major Richard Star Act, 392 to 18, after a discharge petition led by two California Democrats

The bill would let about 59,000 combat-injured veterans who were medically retired before 20 years collect full retired pay and VA disability pay; Republican leaders back their own version, which the House passed a day earlier.

By Adaeze Monroe

The House on Thursday passed the Major Richard Star Act, 392 to 18, a bill that would end a long-standing rule requiring tens of thousands of combat-injured veterans to give up part of their military retired pay to receive disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The vote, Roll Call 323, came a day after the House passed a broader Republican veterans package, which Republican leaders call pro-taxpayer and the Trump administration has endorsed, that contains its own version of the same benefit. Both measures now go to the Senate, and the dispute between them is less about whether to pay these veterans than about how to pay for it.

What the bill would change

Under current law, service members who retire with 20 or more years of service can collect both retired pay and VA disability compensation. Those forced out earlier by combat-related injuries, known as Chapter 61 retirees, have their retired pay reduced dollar for dollar by the disability payments. The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Democrats say about 59,000 veterans are affected.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated in October that eligible retirees would receive about $1,450 more a month, on average, in total compensation under the version the House took up, according to Military Times. CBO put the cost of that version at $12.75 billion in direct spending over the 2027-2036 period, down from $78.1 billion for the bill as originally introduced; CBO attributed nearly all of the difference to two provisions dropped from the amended text.

The bill is named for Maj. Richard Star, an Army combat engineer medically retired after developing terminal cancer that Stars and Stripes reported was linked to burn-pit exposure. He pressed Congress for the change and died on Feb. 13, 2021, at 51.

How California members forced the vote

The bill reached the floor through a discharge petition, a procedure that lets a majority of members force a vote without the leadership’s consent once it gathers 218 signatures. Rep. Mark Takano of Riverside, the ranking Democrat on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, filed it with Rep. Raul Ruiz of the Coachella Valley on May 21. It reached 218 on Sept. 15, when Rep. Nancy Mace, Republican of South Carolina, signed. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, Republican of Florida, first introduced the bill in 2020, and he and Mr. Ruiz have reintroduced it in each Congress since.

“Six years ago, Major Star asked Congress to fix this. He died before we could,” Mr. Takano said after the vote. “It took a discharge petition and 218 signatures, and it took veterans who refused to quit, but combat-injured veterans will finally keep what they earned.”

Mr. Ruiz called it “a historic victory for combat-wounded veterans and their families” and said, “Now the Senate must act.”

Every Democrat who voted supported the bill, as did 181 Republicans; 18 Republicans voted no. In California’s delegation, Rep. Tom McClintock was the lone no vote. Reps. Lou Correa, Darrell Issa, Nancy Pelosi and David Valadao did not vote. The rest of the state’s members voted yes.

The Republican alternative

Republican leaders have argued for a different route. On Veterans Day, the House passed by voice vote H.R. 9237, the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, sponsored by Rep. Mike Bost of Illinois, the committee’s chairman. The package of more than 60 provisions includes a modified Star Act alongside expanded community care, mental health services and support for caregivers and survivors.

“This landmark bill finally reduces the wounded veteran tax,” Mr. Bost said in a statement, calling it “a pathway to finally get these historic healthcare, benefits, and transformations done at VA.” He said he was committed to working with the Senate to get it “to the president’s desk before the end of the year.” The committee majority describes the package as “pro-taxpayer.” Republican leaders urged their members to back it rather than the standalone bill, Stars and Stripes reported, citing The New York Times.

The Trump administration has endorsed that approach. In a Statement of Administration Policy issued in July, the White House Office of Management and Budget said it supports the package’s advancement of “the President’s priorities,” including community care and “ensuring responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars,” and that it “appreciates Congress reaching an agreement to responsibly address issues affecting certain combat-injured servicemembers.” The statement said President Trump “is committed to delivering results for veterans, cutting red tape, and making the VA work better,” while raising concerns about provisions on the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and requests for documents covered by executive privilege.

The sticking point is the offset. According to Stars and Stripes, the Republican package would pay for its Star Act provision by reducing future disability ratings for tinnitus and sleep apnea, among the most common claims. Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas, a medically retired Navy SEAL who did not vote on the standalone bill, has called current compensation for those conditions “absurdly high,” the newspaper reported, citing The New York Times. Mr. Takano, Mr. Ruiz and groups including Disabled American Veterans oppose the package’s funding structure, the committee Democrats said.

The committee’s Democratic and Republican press offices, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Military Officers Association of America did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday’s vote.

What it means for California, and what comes next

California has one of the nation’s largest veteran populations and major installations from Camp Pendleton to Travis Air Force Base, so the outcome matters to medically retired service members and their families across the state.

The Senate companion, S. 1032, led by Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, awaits action. The Senate has no discharge procedure, and the bill would likely need 60 votes unless senators agree by unanimous consent, Military Times noted; earlier unanimous-consent attempts were blocked. If neither version is enacted before the 119th Congress ends in January, supporters would have to start over.