The U.S. House of Representatives voted 392 to 18 on November 12, 2026, to pass the Major Richard Star Act, or H.R. 2102. The bipartisan legislation allows tens of thousands of combat-injured veterans to receive both full military retirement pay and Department of Veterans Affairs disability compensation without offset. Roughly 59,000 medically retired veterans stand to benefit.
House passage drew backing from 210 Democrats, 181 Republicans, and one independent lawmaker. Although the measure had attracted more than 330 House cosponsors, congressional leadership had repeatedly withheld a floor vote over budget costs. On May 21, 2026, Democrats filed a discharge petition to force floor action. Representative Chris Pappas of New Hampshire, an original cosponsor since 2019, welcomed the breakthrough in a House press release. "Every Congress since I got here, I've signed on to this bill, and every Congress veterans were told to wait," Pappas said. Navy veteran Representative Chris Deluzio noted the vote succeeded despite opposition from House Republican leadership.
Under existing federal rules, retirees who serve at least 20 years can collect both military retirement pay and VA disability benefits simultaneously; however, service members forced into early medical retirement due to combat injuries face dollar-for-dollar reductions. The bill honors Army Major Richard Star, who was medically retired after developing cancer tied to toxic exposure during deployment and died before seeing the law changed. Originally introduced in 2020, the measure has been championed by veterans' organizations for six years.
Major advocacy groups, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Wounded Warrior Project, praised the House vote and urged swift Senate action. A companion Senate bill, S. 1032, already has 79 cosponsors. Senate leaders have not yet announced a floor schedule for H.R. 2102 before the current Congress adjourns.
