WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo (both R-Idaho) introduced the Major Richard Star Act to provide combat-injured veteran retirees their full benefits.

“Our veterans made significant sacrifices for our freedoms. Penalizing their retirement benefits due to injuries they incurred during their honorable service to our country is unacceptable,” said Risch. “The Major Richard Star Act protects the entirety of veterans’ earned benefits and give our nation’s heroes the respect they deserve.”

“The Major Richard Star Act corrects a severe injustice for combat-wounded veterans,” said Crapo. “The support for this correction is clear. Though the namesake of our legislation is no longer with us, I continue to press for its passage on behalf of the more than 50,000 veterans, including hundreds in Idaho, who stand to benefit.”  

Currently, only veterans with disability ratings above 50% and more than 20 years of service are eligible to receive the full amount of their Department of Defense (DOD) retirement and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability payments—leaving behind more than 50,000 combat-injured military retirees. The Major Richard Star Act will fix this unjust policy for retired combat veterans—providing them with their full VA disability and DOD retirement payments.

This legislation is named in honor of Major Richard A. Star, a decorated war veteran who was forced to medically retire due to his combat-related injuries. Major Star sadly lost his battle with cancer on February 13, 2021.