The House on Thursday voted 392-18 to pass the Major Richard Star Act as a standalone bill, a measure that would let combat-injured, medically retired veterans collect both their military retirement pay and their VA disability compensation without the reduction that now applies. The vote came one day after the House approved a much larger veterans package, the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, by voice vote on Veterans Day, setting up a debate in the Senate over how Congress should pay for expanded veterans benefits.
What happened Thursday
The standalone Star Act reached the floor after a discharge petition gathered 218 signatures, the number needed to force a vote, according to Just the News. Under current rules, eligible veterans with fewer than 20 years of service see their retirement pay offset by their disability pay, an arrangement advocates call the “wounded veteran tax.” Estimates of how many veterans would benefit vary by source: about 54,000 according to Military.com, roughly 59,000 according to House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Democrats, and more than 60,000 according to committee Republicans.
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee ranking member Mark Takano (D-Calif.) said that “combat-injured veterans will finally keep what they earned.” The bill now goes to the Senate.
The larger package passed Wednesday
On Wednesday, November 11, the House passed H.R. 9237, the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act (TCAVA), by voice vote, meaning individual members’ positions were not recorded, Military.com reported. The bill, led by House Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.) and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), bundles more than 60 veterans measures. They include a version of the Star Act, the Love Lives On Act, which would let surviving spouses who remarry keep their benefits, higher compensation for severely disabled veterans, and expanded caregiver support, mental health care and community care access.
To help pay for the package, Section 108 would change how the VA rates certain conditions, including tinnitus and obstructive sleep apnea. Republicans say the change follows a draft VA proposal meant to reflect medical advances, such as lowering ratings for veterans whose sleep apnea is successfully treated with a CPAP machine, Stars and Stripes reported. Disabled American Veterans (DAV) cites a VA analysis estimating the changes could affect up to 1.5 million veterans and reduce compensation by up to $57 billion over 10 years.
What supporters say
- Bost said the package “will help families make ends meet” and that he is working with the Senate to send it to the president before the end of the year, according to the committee’s Republican majority.
- Moran has said he will work to see the bill become law; he has not given a timeline for a Senate vote.
- Supporters argue a comprehensive package offers a practical path for measures that have struggled to pass on their own. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, praised the bill’s health care and mental health reforms and its help for wounded warriors and surviving spouses.
- The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) welcomed the vote because of the Love Lives On Act; founder Bonnie Carroll urged the Senate to act quickly, Military.com reported.
What opponents say
- Takano said Republicans passed “the largest cut to veterans benefits in our nation’s history” and criticized the use of a voice vote, Stars and Stripes reported.
- The VFW urged the Senate to reject the bill, arguing current veterans’ gains should not come at future veterans’ expense. VFW Commander-in-Chief Cory Geisler said it “should be dead on arrival in the Senate,” according to Military.com.
- DAV called for a recorded revote before the bill advances and said the measure had failed twice earlier in 2026 to gain enough support.
- Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, vowed to defeat the bill and pointed to unspent Defense Department funds as an alternative way to pay for new benefits.
What to watch next
Both bills now go to the Senate. According to Stars and Stripes, the current Congress is scheduled to end its session on January 3, 2027, and bills not acted on by then expire. Any Senate changes to TCAVA would require further action by the House. The Trump administration has previously expressed support for several provisions while flagging concerns for Congress to address, Military.com reported. Lawmakers are also working against a December 11 government funding deadline, as Upstormed News reported when the lame-duck Congress returned. Upstormed News will follow the Senate debate.
The votes came during a week focused on those who served, from the president’s Veterans Day address at Arlington to the anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Why it matters for families
- Military retirees injured in combat could see higher monthly income if the Star Act becomes law.
- Surviving spouses who remarry could keep benefits under the Love Lives On Act, which is included in the larger package.
- Veterans with tinnitus or sleep apnea, and those who may file claims in the future, should watch how the Senate handles the proposed rating changes. Accredited veterans service officers can explain how any final law would apply to an individual case.
Read more: Sanders Won’t Back Schumer as Senate Democrats Debate Who Leads New Majority
How should Congress pay for new veterans benefits? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Sources: Just the News, “House passes Major Richard Star Act, a bill that aims to help medically retired veterans” (November 12, 2026); House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Democrats, “House Passes Major Richard Star Act, Ending the Wounded Veterans Tax” (November 12, 2026); Military.com, “House Passes Sweeping TCAVA Veterans Benefits Bill Despite Disability Pay Concerns” (November 2026); Stars and Stripes, “VFW, Democrats slam House adoption of the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act” (November 12, 2026); House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Republicans, “Promises Made, Promises Kept” (November 11, 2026); DAV, “DAV condemns House leaders for pushing through unprecedented veterans benefit cuts during lame-duck session without a recorded vote” (November 12, 2026); Office of Rep. Jared Golden, “Golden celebrates passage of Take Care of America’s Veterans Act” (November 11, 2026)
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