Duval Times

Today, Senator Rick Scott, alongside 43 bipartisan colleagues in the Senate and 186 in the House of Representatives, reintroduced the Major Richard Star Act. This legislation aims to amend current laws to allow combat-injured veterans who retired with less than 20 years of service to receive both Department of Defense retirement pay and VA disability compensation without any offsets.

Under existing regulations, a dollar-for-dollar offset is required between disability compensation and retirement pay. This means that injured veterans are compelled to forfeit part of their earned benefits. The proposed act seeks to rectify this by ensuring that these veterans receive full concurrent receipt of their benefits, regardless of their service duration.

The act honors Major Richard A. Star, a decorated war veteran who was medically retired due to combat-related injuries. It aims to provide fair treatment for all combat-injured veterans by acknowledging their sacrifices and ensuring they receive all the benefits they deserve.

Senator Rick Scott expressed his support for the legislation: "I am a proud veteran and the son of a World War II veteran, and I have immense respect for anyone who puts on the uniform to defend our nation. Our veterans are American heroes who have made countless sacrifices. The Major Richard Star Act ensures our veterans receive the full benefits they’ve earned through their service and sacrifice protecting our nation regardless of length of service."

Scott further urged his colleagues for swift passage: "This legislation makes a critical change to treat our veterans fairly and support our nation’s heroes. I urge my colleagues to support its quick passage.”