Senator Roger Marshall, US Senator for Kansas | Official U.S. House headshot
Senator Roger Marshall, US Senator for Kansas | Official U.S. House headshot
U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, along with Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal and 41 other Senate cosponsors, has reintroduced the bipartisan Major Richard Star Act. This legislation aims to ensure that combat-injured veteran retirees receive their full benefits.
Currently, over 50,000 combat-injured military retirees do not receive the full amount of their Department of Defense (DOD) retirement and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability payments unless they have a disability rating above 50 percent and more than 20 years of service.
Senator Marshall emphasized the need for this change by stating, “Despite making unparalleled sacrifices for our nation, some of America’s wounded or disabled veterans have been prevented from receiving the full benefits they earned.” He urged his colleagues to support the act to provide "full Defense Department retirement and VA disability payments" to those who deserve it.
Senator Blumenthal highlighted the urgency by noting, “This measure corrects one of the deepest injustices in our present veterans’ disability system.” He described it as unacceptable that many combat-injured veterans are denied their full military benefits.
The act also received backing from Senator Mike Crapo, who said, “The Major Richard Star Act corrects a severe injustice for combat-wounded veterans,” adding that there is clear support for this correction. The namesake of the legislation is Major Richard A. Star, a decorated war veteran forced into medical retirement due to his injuries and who passed away in February 2021.
In addition to Senators Warren and Scott voicing strong support for ensuring veterans receive deserved benefits, the House companion version was introduced by Congressmen Gus Bilirakis and Raul Ruiz with 185 bipartisan cosponsors.
The bill has widespread backing from various Veteran Service and Military Service organizations including Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), among others.
Alerts Sign-up