More than 300 lawmakers’ offices heard about the fight to end an unjust offset faced by tens of thousands of combat-injured veterans April 15 as MOAA members made their priorities known during the annual Advocacy in Action event.

That same day, another group of veteran advocates hosted a bipartisan press conference on Capitol Hill to shine a brighter spotlight on the Major Richard Star Act – a bill with the support of more than 390 lawmakers … but one that has yet to receive a vote by either the full House or Senate.

“It is time for us to go ahead and move this bill forward, get the 54,000 combat-wounded veterans their retirement pay – the retirement pay that they shed their very blood for,” 1st Sgt. David Star, USA (Ret), brother of the bill’s namesake.

[TAKE ACTION: Ask Your Lawmakers to Support the Major Richard Star Act]

Maj. Richard Star, USA, died in 2021 after battling cancer linked to burn pit exposure. When his illness forced him into an early military retirement, Star advocated tirelessly in support of legislation that would allow early retirees to collect both service-connected retirement pay and disability-based VA compensation without a dollar-for-dollar offset.

Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), who introduced the House version of the bill, called it an issue of “fundamental fairness.”

“Quite simply, these brave men and women are penalized for being wounded in service to our nation,” Bilirakis said during the April 15 event, hosted by the Veterans Justice Alliance. “Fiscal responsibility should never come at the expense of the men and women who have already sacrificed their health, their careers, in many ways their future earning potential, in defense of our freedom.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who introduced the Senate version of the bill, twice asked for the chamber to move the legislation forward under unanimous consent, a procedural tool that can be derailed by a single objection. The bill was blocked in both instances, with opponents citing cost concerns.

“One of the costs of war is to care for our veterans,” Blumenthal said at the press event. “We made promises. We’re failing to keep those promises. I can’t imagine a more important cause for me and for the Congress than making sure we eliminate this injustice.”

Work will continue on multiple paths to ensure the bill becomes law, Blumenthal said, such as efforts to include support for combat-injured veterans as part of any supplemental funding bills and during the annual National Defense Authorization Act mark-up process.

[ISSUE PAPER: Major Richard Star Act]

Supporters working to end the “wounded veteran tax” faced by these combat-injured retirees have come from across the military advocacy community. Along with MOAA’s work through our Advocacy in Action campaign, the association was a founding member of the Star Act Alliance, a group of nonprofits including Veterans of Foreign Wars, Wounded Warrior Project, Blue Star Families, and more groups working together to move the bill forward.

And while it’s likely your lawmakers have agreed to cosponsor the legislation, it’s clear from this session (and previous sessions) that signing on to support the bill isn’t enough: Even if you’ve already engaged with your legislators on this issue, do so again to keep the unjust offset faced by tens of thousands of combat-wounded veterans top of mind on Capitol Hill.