IA HR105

Resolution urges Congress to pass the Major Richard Star Act, which would allow medically retired service members to receive both full retirement pay and VA disability benefits concurrently.

Current rules reduce retirement pay dollar-for-dollar for every dollar of disability pay received by veterans with less than 20 years of service and disability ratings under 50 percent.

An estimated 50,000 retired service members are ineligible for concurrent benefits under current rules, with the average offset approximately $1,900 per month according to the Congressional Budget Office (2022 data).

The act is named after Major Richard Star, an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran who developed lung cancer from burn pit exposure and was forced to retire before completing 20 years of service, making him ineligible for full benefits; he died in 2021.

Upon passage, copies of the resolution would be transmitted to the U.S. President, Senate President, House Speaker, and Iowa's congressional delegation.