Reps. Aguilar, Takano and Veterans Advocate for Passage of Veterans Disability & Retirement Bill

Rep. Pete Aguilar (CA-33) held a press conference with Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39) and local veterans to call for a House vote on the Major Richard Star Act. The bill would let combat-injured veterans receive both their retirement and their disability pay in full, even if they left service before 20 years. Under current law, veterans injured while serving our country who leave the military before 20 years of service lose a dollar of retirement pay for every dollar of disability pay they receive. The Major Richard Star Act, which is co-sponsored by Reps. Aguilar and Takano and has broad bipartisan support in the House of Representatives, would end the offset for combat-injured medical retirees. The bill is supported by Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), and many other veteran service organizations. Rep. Takano, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and Rep. Raul Ruiz (CA-25) led a discharge petition to force a vote on the bill. In September, the petition reached the required 218 signatures to force the House Speaker to bring the bill up for a vote. The bill is now awaiting a vote on the House floor.