We're asking for your help: Support the Richard Star Act

Veterans' Benefits ★ Take Action

Support Concurrent Receipt for All Medically Retired Veterans

Every year, thousands of service members are medically retired before reaching 20 years — not because they failed, but because their bodies or minds were used up in service to the country. Under current law, most of them are forced into a cruel trade: give up part of your earned military retirement pay in order to collect the VA disability compensation you're also owed.

The Major Richard Star Act would help, but it only covers combat-related disabilities — leaving out sailors under drone and missile fire, service members broken by sustained operational stress, and anyone else whose service-connected injuries don't fit a narrow legal definition of "combat."

This is fixable. It takes about two minutes to tell your elected officials it matters to you. Below is a ready-to-send letter and direct links to find your Representative and Senators.

🏛️ Find Your Representative

⭐ Find Your Senator

Copy & Paste This Letter

Subject: Support Concurrent Receipt for All Medically Retired Veterans

Dear Senator/Representative [Last Name],

I am writing to ask for your support in addressing a longstanding injustice affecting medically retired veterans.

Under current Title 10 law, service members medically retired before reaching 20 years of service must generally forfeit their military retirement pay in order to receive VA disability compensation. Although they earned both benefits through their service and sacrifice, they are often forced to choose between them.

The Major Richard Star Act is an important step toward correcting this problem, but it does not go far enough. By focusing primarily on combat-related disabilities, many medically retired veterans remain excluded. Modern military service does not always fit neatly into traditional definitions of combat. A sailor repeatedly subjected to missile or drone attacks, or a service member who develops severe PTSD from sustained operational stress, may be permanently disabled by military service yet still fail to qualify under current criteria.

As conflicts continue around the world, including recent tensions involving Iran, more service members will inevitably leave the military with service-connected disabilities. Many will be medically retired before reaching 20 years through no fault of their own. They should not be penalized financially because their injuries or illnesses ended careers they otherwise would have continued.

This offset can cost disabled veterans thousands of dollars each month, money that could help pay for housing, healthcare, and everyday living expenses. Military retired pay and VA disability compensation serve different purposes and should not cancel one another out.

I respectfully urge you to support legislation that allows all medically retired veterans to receive both their earned military retirement pay and VA disability compensation, regardless of whether their disabilities are classified as combat-related.

America made a commitment to those who served. Veterans whose careers were ended by service-connected disabilities should not lose the retirement benefits they were on track to earn because they became disabled while serving our nation.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I would appreciate learning your position on this issue.

Respectfully,

[Your Name]

[Address]

[City, State ZIP]

[Email Address]

[Phone Number]

"No veteran should be forced to surrender earned retirement pay simply because service-connected disabilities prevented them from reaching 20 years of service."

Related Dispatches

Mike Lindell Demands a Recount. We Demand a Receipt.

Help Us Piss Off Transphobes in Congress!

2026 U.S. General Election Countdown & Voter Registration Guide