Rep. Gabe Vasquez Champions the Major Richard Star Act to Provide Fair Compensation for Combat-Injured Veterans

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) signed a bipartisan discharge petition to require a House vote on the Major Richard Star Act, legislation that would allow combat-injured veterans to receive both their full military retirement pay and Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation.

Under current law, most military retirees who have completed 20 years of service are eligible to receive their earned retirement and VA disability benefits concurrently. However, servicemembers who are forced into early retirement due to unforeseen combat-related medical injuries are denied that same benefit. This means combat-injured veterans must forfeit their hard-earned military retirement pay to receive VA disability compensation.

The Major Richard Star Act addresses this inequity by allowing combat-injured veterans who were medically retired before reaching 20 years of service to receive both their full military retirement pay and full VA disability compensation. This bill has strong bipartisan support with 330 cosponsors, including 200 Democrats and 130 Republicans, but it has yet to receive a vote.   

Rep. Vasquez stressed that signing this discharge petition and holding a vote on this bipartisan legislation is a critical step towards ensuring medically retired veterans receive full and fair compensation for their hard work and sacrifice.

“Veterans who have been injured on the frontlines are patriots who have risked it all for our country, and they deserve full and fair compensation,” said Vasquez. “I will keep pushing with colleagues from both sides of the aisle to put an end to the wounded veterans tax and ensure no combat-injured hero is forced to forgo their military retirement pay. Pass the Richard Star Act now.” 

Rep. Vasquez’s support of the Major Richard Star Act reflects his ongoing commitment to supporting veterans and active-duty service members. His previous work includes: 

• Spearheading the TRICARE Travel Improvement Act, which Vasquez led and got passed into law with bipartisan support through the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act. The bill lowers the mileage requirement for TRICARE travel reimbursement from 100 miles to 75 miles — helping military families in rural communities more easily access medical care.
• The Feed Our Veterans Act, legislation Vasquez introduced and fought for during the most recent Farm Bill markup, to combat food insecurity among veterans and protect them from new burdensome SNAP work requirements introduced under the Republican tax law last summer. 
• Voted in support of the Fiscal Year 2027 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act to obtain critical funding that would improve the quality of life for veterans and make substantial investments in infrastructure to support the readiness of active-duty servicemembers in New Mexico.  

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