Major Richard Star Act Passes House; Senate Now in Control of Two Bills With Major Implications For Veterans

The House of Representatives passed the Major Richard Star Act on Thursday by a 392-18 vote, sending the bill to the Senate.

Approximately 58,000 combat-injured veterans who were medically retired with fewer than 20 years of service would see their combined pay rise by an average of $1,450 a month if the bill becomes law, the Congressional Budget Office estimated Oct. 27. That works out to about $17,400 a year on average, and individual amounts would vary.

The passage comes one day after the House also passed the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, or TCAVA, which includes the Major Richard Star Act plus more than 60 other provisions that would affect retirement compensation, survivor benefits, caregiver assistance, health care access and improvements to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Nothing changes for those veterans yet based on either bill’s passage. The Senate must now legislate, and whatever bill they support would require the president’s signature.

How the Vote Broke Down

According to the roll call, ‘yay’ votes included 210 Democrats, 181 Republicans and one independent. No Democrats voted against the bill, while 19 Republicans and four Democrats didn’t vote at all.

These 18 Republicans voted against the bill:

• Rep. Andy Biggs, Arizona
• Rep. Tim Burchett, Tennessee
• Rep. Eric Burlison, Missouri
• Rep. Andrew Clyde, Georgia
• Rep. Eli Crane, Arizona
• Rep. Rick Crawford, Arkansas
• Rep. Andy Harris, Maryland
• Rep. Mark Harris, North Carolina
• Rep. Clay Higgins, Louisiana
• Rep. Tom McClintock, California
• Rep. Blake Moore, Utah
• Rep. Ralph Norman, South Carolina
• Rep. John Rose, Tennessee
• Rep. Chip Roy, Texas
• Rep. David Schweikert, Arizona
• Rep. Keith Self, Texas
• Rep. Lloyd Smucker, Pennsylvania
• Rep. Marlin Stutzman, Indiana

Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chair Mike Bost all voted yes on Thursday. All three had voted Wednesday against the motion that forced the bill to the floor, which passed 245-175, Military.com previously reported.

Earlier Thursday, 135 Republicans voted against the measure bringing the bill up for debate, which passed 271-135.

How the Bill Works and When It Would Pay

Under current law, these retirees have their military retirement pay reduced by the amount of disability compensation they receive, an average offset of $2,275 a month, according to the budget office.

The House bill removes that reduction for retirees with combat-related disabilities who left under the military’s disability retirement chapter with fewer than 20 years of service, according to the bill’s text. It does not raise disability ratings or apply to every disabled veteran.

Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESSS

Payments would begin quickly once the bill is signed, and the change “shall take effect on the first day of the first month beginning after the date of the enactment.”

A bill signed in December would apply to January payments under that language. Over 10 years, the bill is projected to cost $12.75 billion.

Two Bills Now Sit in the Senate

Senators now have two House-passed versions of the same benefit.

On Wednesday, the House passed a Republican package by voice vote that pairs its own version with changes to how sleep apnea and tinnitus are rated for future claims.

That voice vote came while Rep. Mark Takano of California, the top Democrat on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, was away from his microphone discussing changes with Republicans. No Democrat demanded a recorded vote, The Hill reported.

“Six years ago, Major Star asked Congress to fix this. He died before we could,” Takano said in a statement after Thursday’s vote.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who sponsors the Senate version of the Star Act, said in a Wednesday statement that the Republican package “will be defeated in the Senate.”

Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, the Republican chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said he looks forward to the package becoming law, according to The Hill.

Passing either one will be more difficult in the Senate, which has no process for forcing a vote the way the House does.

Republican senators have blocked the standalone bill six times. Any bill that has not cleared both chambers when this Congress ends Jan. 3 must start over.