A renewed push is building online for the Major Richard Star Act, legislation that would expand “concurrent receipt” by allowing certain combat-wounded military retirees to collect both military retired pay and VA disability compensation—ending what advocates call the “wounded veteran tax,” according to posts and calls-to-action circulating on Reddit’s r/veterans.
- What the bill would do: Expand eligibility for concurrent receipt so more combat-wounded retirees can receive full military retired pay and VA disability compensation at the same time.
- What happens now (for many retirees): VA disability compensation can reduce (“offset”) military retired pay for some retirees, depending on disability rating and retirement type—an issue advocates label the “wounded veteran tax.”
- Who the push is targeting: r/veterans users are urging veterans and families to contact their House and Senate members and to track whether their lawmakers are co-sponsoring the measure.
- Why it matters financially: Concurrent receipt can change a retiree’s monthly income materially, especially for those with significant VA ratings and longevity retired pay. Veterans considering the potential impact can estimate their baseline retired pay using a military retirement calculator.
- Status (as described by the source): The subreddit discussion frames the bill as gaining momentum and emphasizes constituent outreach as it moves through Congress, but r/veterans posts do not provide an official committee schedule or vote date.
Brief context: Concurrent receipt has been a long-running issue for medically retired and combat-wounded veterans. Federal law generally prohibits “double-dipping” for the same period of service, but Congress has created exceptions over time—most notably Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) and Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC)—that allow some retirees to receive additional amounts without the full offset. Advocates for the Major Richard Star Act argue that current rules still leave a subset of combat-wounded retirees with reduced retired pay, and they are pressing lawmakers to expand eligibility.
Because the discussion is unfolding on social media, readers should verify bill text, co-sponsors, and legislative actions directly through Congress’ official bill tracker or their lawmakers’ offices before making financial decisions based on anticipated changes.
Source: Reddit — r/veterans