Fact check: Will our Government or Project 2025 remove one of our payments whether it be military retirement or VA Disability Compensation? MAJOR Richard Star Act

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, there is no evidence that the Government or Project 2025 will remove military retirement or VA Disability Compensation payments entirely. However, the sources reveal a more nuanced picture of potential changes and existing policy issues.

Project 2025 concerns: One source suggests that Project 2025 proposes to cut benefits for disabled veterans, reduce health coverage, and make it harder for veterans to obtain disability benefits ^[1]. Additionally, there are indications that the government is considering reducing VA disability benefits for veterans who reach Social Security retirement age ^[2].

Current policy issues: The analyses reveal that under existing law, not all retired service members with a service-connected disability receive their full retirement pay and disability benefits due to an offset policy ^[3]. This creates what is known as the "wounded veteran tax" where combat-injured veterans cannot receive both benefits simultaneously without reduction ^[4].

The Major Richard Star Act solution: The Act aims to eliminate the offset, allowing veterans to receive both benefits without reduction ^[3]. Specifically, it would allow veterans who were forced to medically retire due to combat or combat-related injuries to receive their disability compensation and full retirement pay without offset ^[4].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks several crucial pieces of context:

• Current offset policy: The question doesn't acknowledge that there is already a policy in place that prevents some veterans from receiving both full military retirement and VA disability compensation simultaneously ^{[5] [3]}.
• Specific targeting: Rather than broad removal of payments, the concerns center around specific reductions for older veterans who reach Social Security retirement age ^[2] and potential changes that would make it harder to obtain disability benefits rather than eliminating them entirely ^[1].
• Administrative changes: Some sources discuss changes to payment processes rather than benefit elimination, such as modifications to Survivor Benefit Plan premiums ^[6] and improvements to survivor benefits application processes ^[7].
• Political dynamics: The confirmation of Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, who contributed to reports suggesting changes to VA disability benefits, has put veterans service organizations on guard against potential policy shifts ^[8].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement contains several potentially misleading elements:

• False binary framing: The question implies that payments would be completely "removed," when the evidence suggests the concerns are about reductions, offsets, or procedural changes rather than total elimination ^{[1] [2]}.
• Misunderstanding of the Major Richard Star Act: The question seems to conflate the Act with potential benefit removal, when in fact the Act aims to fix the current policy that offsets military retirement pay and VA disability compensation ^[5]. The Act would actually increase benefits for affected veterans, not remove them.
• Overgeneralization: The statement suggests all military retirement and VA disability payments are at risk, when the evidence points to specific categories of veterans (those reaching Social Security age, combat-injured retirees) being potentially affected by different policy considerations ^{[2] [4]}.
• Lack of specificity: The question fails to distinguish between different types of proposed changes - some aimed at reducing benefits (Project 2025 proposals) versus others aimed at expanding them (Major Richard Star Act) ^{[1] [3]}.