ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Major Richard Star Act, H.R. 2102, S.1032, concurrent receipt, one-to-one offset, military retirement pay offset, VA disability compensation, medically retired veterans, combat-injured veterans, Maryland congressional delegation, Johnny Olszewski, Andy Harris, Steny Hoyer.
We first told you about the Major Richard Star Act in our ongoing Voice for Veterans coverage. Now, we’re taking a deeper look at what the bill would do, why it hasn’t passed, and where Maryland lawmakers stand.
The Major Richard Star Act, H.R. 2102 in the House and S.1032 in the Senate, would allow certain combat-injured, medically retired veterans to receive both their full military retirement pay and VA disability compensation.
Under current federal law, veterans who qualify for both benefits face what’s known as a one-to-one offset: for every one dollar received in VA disability compensation, one dollar is deducted from military retirement pay.
Currently, only veterans who served at least 20 years and have a disability rating of 50 percent or higher can receive both payments without that reduction. Many combat-injured service members are medically retired before reaching 20 years, making them ineligible for full concurrent receipt.
Jose Ramos, Vice President for Government and Community Relations at Wounded Warrior Project and a medically retired Navy corpsman, described how the offset works.
“For every $1 that you receive from the VA for your disability compensation, you deduct the $1 from your DOD retirement pay. So that’s what they call a one-for-one offset,” said Ramos.
Ramos says the Major Richard Star Act would correct what he views as an oversight.
“The Richard Star Act… rights an injustice or corrects a wrong and really an oversight.”
He says critics often raise cost concerns or describe the policy change as “double dipping.”
“It’s 0.1% of what it costs to fund the Department of Defense in just one year… it’s not actually a new benefit and it’s not at all double dipping,”
Ramos says roughly 750 Maryland veterans would be impacted by the legislation.
Congressman Johnny Olszewski is among the House members who signed on as a cosponsor of H.R. 2102.
“This was a no-brainer for me. It is a bipartisan bill that Democrats and Republicans alike overwhelmingly support… that would allow service disabled veterans who in the line of their duties are no longer able to serve on active duty to claim not only their retirement but also their disability payments as well and not be penalized for being injured in the course of their service.”
Olszewski also addressed why the bill remains stalled.
“315 co-sponsors, particularly in this partisan polarized environment, is about as many as you’re gonna see on any piece of legislation… I don’t see any good reason why this is being bottled up in committee.”
In Maryland’s House delegation, six members signed on as cosponsors.
Maryland Congressman Andy Harris, who did not sign on as a cosponsor, addressed the bill when we caught up with him at a press conference.
“Look, as a veteran, obviously I believe that disabled veterans deserve the maximum benefits. But there are actually two programs that take care of most of the people who that program addresses, and that program does not address all veterans who have disabilities. So I don’t think the bill, the way it’s structured, is — I think first of all the vast majority of the people whom that would help are already helped under two programs, and there are classes of veterans that aren’t helped. So I’m not sure that bill is ready for prime time”
Afterward, his spokesperson clarified that Harris was referring to Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) and Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC).
CRDP allows certain retirees with at least 20 years of service and a disability rating of 50 percent or higher to receive both retirement pay and disability compensation without a full offset.
CRSC provides tax-free payments to eligible retirees whose disabilities are combat-related, though it requires a separate application and does not restore full concurrent receipt in every case.
The spokesperson added:
“Existing programs already provide benefits to many disabled military retirees, while the Major Richard Star Act, as currently structured, does not address all categories of disabled veterans. He supports ensuring veterans receive the maximum benefits they deserve and wants to find the most effective way to achieve that.”
Representative Steny Hoyer also did not sign on as a cosponsor. WMAR-2 News reached out to his office several times but did not receive a response.
For now, the Major Richard Star Act remains in committee in both chambers, despite bipartisan support and continued advocacy efforts.
