Pielli’s resolution unanimously approved by House Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee
Rep. Chris Pielli June 4, 2025 | 12:10 PM
HARRISBURG, June 4 – State Rep. Chris Pielli, D-Chester, announced today that his resolution urging Congress to pass the Major Richard Star Act, which would permit medically retired veterans to receive both retirement pay and VA disability benefits, has been unanimously reported out of the state House Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee.
Retired Army Maj. Richard Star passed away following a fight with stage four lung cancer in 2021. Star was a combat veteran with multiple overseas tours, including tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and is remembered for saving countless lives while clearing roads in Afghanistan of improvised explosive devices. Star will also be remembered for spending the final months of his life advocating for medically retired and disabled veterans. According to his wife, Tonya Star, Star’s greatest goal was to pass what is now U.S. Senate Bill 1032, or the Major Richard Star Act, named in honor of his memory.
Under this Congressional legislation, all medically retired service members would have full access to both their military retirement pay and Department of Veterans Affairs disability benefits. Today, for every dollar of disability pay they receive, veterans with less than 20 years of service and a disability rating of less than 50% have their retirement payments reduced by a dollar. Under these rules, an estimated 50,000 retired service members are ineligible for concurrent benefits. Further, the average offset from this results in a loss of about $1,900 a month.
“While going through countless surgeries and chemotherapy due to his lung cancer, Major Star learned that he would not concurrently receive his retirement and disability pay through the Department of Defense,” Pielli said. “This is an injustice that requires attention. For these reasons and more, I’ve reintroduced House Resolution 234 to urge Congress to support and pass the Major Richard Star Act, and am glad it was again reported out of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee with unanimous support. The United States owes a debt to its former service members, one that should not be dismissed based on costs.”
The resolution (H.R. 234) now goes to the full House for consideration.