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House Passes Rule for Major Richard Star Act Concurrent Receipt to End Veteran Disability Offset
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Key points
- The U.S. House passed H. Res. 1247 to advance the Major Richard Star Act, which allows concurrent receipt of retirement pay and disability compensation for combat-injured veterans.
- The resolution passed the House in a 271-135 vote following a successful discharge petition led by lawmakers.
- The Congressional Budget Office projects the expansion will increase direct federal spending by $12.75 billion over ten years.
NewsWK — The U.S. House of Representatives took a decisive step for injured military retirees. Specifically, the House wants to change how the federal government compensates these veterans. Therefore, lawmakers approved a procedural resolution to bring landmark veterans legislation to the House floor. The proposed policy change aims to end long-standing retirement benefit reductions for medically retired service members.
What does the Major Richard Star Act concurrent receipt mean for military families across the nation?
The proposed reform directly changes how the federal government pays medically retired service members. Specifically, it affects veterans disability compensation and retired pay. Currently, combat-injured retirees with under 20 years of service face a benefit offset. This rule reduces their military pension dollar-for-dollar by their disability pay. Fortunately, the reform eliminates this reduction for eligible combat retirees.
For decades, federal law penalized many wounded service members. They had to surrender part of their earned military retirement pay to receive disability benefits. Under Chapter 61 of Title 10, combat-injured retirees often face this financial penalty. Specifically, this impacts veterans who served fewer than 20 years.
However, advocates argue that retired pay and disability compensation serve two distinct purposes. Military retired pay rewards years of service. In contrast, disability compensation covers injuries suffered in the line of duty.
Here is a breakdown of how the proposed change impacts affected veterans:
- It eliminates dollar-for-dollar pension offset reductions for combat-disabled retirees.
- It applies to Chapter 61 retirees eligible for Combat-Related Special Compensation.
- It takes effect on the first day of the first month following enactment.
How did the H Res 1247 House vote unfold on Capitol Hill?
House members cleared the procedural hurdle through a discharge petition. Representative Mark Takano of California filed this measure. First, representatives approved a motion to discharge the Rules Committee on November 11, 2026. That vote passed by a 245-175 margin. Then, the House formally passed House Resolution 1247 on November 12, 2026, in a 271-135 vote.
Earlier, Representative Takano filed the initial discharge petition on May 21, 2026. He wanted to force a vote on the stalled measure. Ultimately, the petition gathered enough signatures to move the bill out of the House Committee on Rules.
Party lines largely shaped the initial procedural vote on November 11. All 210 voting Democrats supported the discharge motion. Additionally, 34 Republicans joined them in favor. Meanwhile, 175 Republicans opposed the procedural step.
However, support expanded significantly during the final resolution vote the following day. In total, 271 representatives voted yes, while 135 lawmakers voted no.
Why are lawmakers debating HR 2102 combat disabled veterans provisions?
Lawmakers remain divided over a key issue. They must balance honoring commitments to wounded veterans with fiscal responsibility. On one hand, supporters argue that combat-injured retirees earned full benefits through sacrifice. On the other hand, opponents raise concerns about unbudgeted direct spending increases. They warn these costs add to the federal deficit without identified revenue offsets.
Representative Raul Ruiz of California joined Representative Takano as a key co-sponsor of the legislation. Together, proponents emphasize that combat-injured personnel should not lose pension benefits. After all, their combat injuries forced an early retirement.
Unbudgeted expenditure increases remain a point of intense Capitol Hill debate.
What is the budgetary cost of the Chapter 61 disability retirees bill?
The Congressional Budget Office released cost estimates for passing H.R. 2102 under House Resolution 1247. Specifically, the bill will increase direct federal spending by $800 million in fiscal year 2027. Furthermore, projected outlays reach $5.75 billion through 2031. Over the 2027–2036 decade, costs total $12.75 billion.
Because the bill generates no new revenues, the increased outlays trigger statutory pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) procedures. Consequently, Congress must navigate deficit constraints to fund the expanded benefits.
Additionally, the Congressional Budget Office expects Military Retirement Fund accrual payments to rise. This increase starts in fiscal year 2028. Notably, these payments reflect higher expected long-term costs of military retired pay for newly eligible combat retirees.
If enacted, the statutory changes will modify Section 1413a(b)(3) of Title 10. Furthermore, the adjustments remove reductions mandated under sections 5304 and 5305 of Title 38 U.S. Code.
Therefore, eligible retirees will soon receive full payments. These benefits start in the first calendar month after the president signs the bill into law.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by our editorial team.
