What would the Major Richard Star Act change about concurrent receipt and who would benefit?

1. What the law currently does and what the Act would change

Under current law, certain retired service members who receive VA disability compensation see their DoD retired pay reduced by an offset that prevents “double-dipping,” with prior Congressional fixes phasing in concurrent receipt for some groups after 2004; the Star Act amends Title 10 to remove that reduction for retirees with combat-related disabilities who are eligible for Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) but who retired with fewer than 20 years of service, thereby allowing simultaneous full retired pay and VA compensation ^{[1] [6] [7]}.

2. Who specifically would gain—numbers and profiles

The legislation targets medically retired, combat-disabled servicemembers who left the military with fewer than 20 years of service but whose disabilities are combat-related and would qualify for CRSC; estimates from advocates and reporting identify more than 50,000 veterans in this category who would see increased compensation if the law passes ^{[3] [2] [4]}. Those beneficiaries typically include personnel medically separated under Chapter 61 or similar authorities whose service-connected conditions stem from combat exposures or injuries rather than noncombat ailments ^{[8] [9]}.

3. Budgetary and administrative mechanics

Proponents argue the policy change would be implemented through existing authorities—amending the relevant subsections of Title 10—and that payments would be made from existing DoD retirement trust mechanisms rather than creating a new entitlement stream, though Congressional cost estimates and detailed budget scoring are essential but not provided in the materials reviewed ^{[1] [10] [2]}. RAND and other analyses frame the change as an expansion of concurrent receipt eligibility but note the need for actuarial and fiscal analysis when scaling the policy ^[5].

4. Political landscape and who’s pushing the bill

The Star Act has drawn bipartisan sponsorship and strong backing from major veterans service organizations and lawmakers across both chambers; House and Senate versions have been repeatedly introduced (H.R.1282/H.R.2102/S.344/S.1032) and supporters highlight wide cosponsorship and endorsements as evidence of momentum ^{[11] [9] [12] [2]}. Veterans groups emphasize moral and equity arguments—“final fix” language appears repeatedly—whereas some fiscal conservatives have historically raised concerns about precedent and long-term costs ^{[4] [3]}.

5. Competing viewpoints and implicit agendas

Advocates present the bill as rectifying an injustice for combat-disabled retirees and cite bipartisanship and VSO pressure as legitimacy ^{[2] [3]}, while opponents point to prior incremental reforms and caution that expanding concurrent receipt further raises permanent outlays and could set new benchmarks for other disability categories; lobby and political incentives—lawmakers seeking veteran votes and VSOs pushing membership priorities—are visible drivers behind the campaign ^{[4] [5]}.

6. Bottom line and limits of available reporting

The Major Richard Star Act would legally end the DoD-VA offset for a defined group—combat-related disabled retirees with under-20 years of service—allowing concurrent receipt of full retired pay and VA disability compensation and benefiting tens of thousands of veterans ^{[1] [2] [3]}; the reporting reviewed provides statutory text, sponsor claims, and advocacy estimates but lacks a single, definitive Congressional Budget Office-style fiscal score within these sources, so precise long-term budget impacts are not established here ^{[1] [5] [8]}.