Ahead of Veterans Day, Courtney Calls for Passage of the Major Richard Star Act

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, in a speech on the House floor, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) called on the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the Major Richard Star Act (H.R. 2102), a bipartisan bill that would fix an injustice in the law that currently diminishes earned retirement benefits for veteran retirees who also collect service-connected disability benefits.

Courtney is one of 341 cosponsors of the Major Richard Star Act, and earlier this year, he signed a discharge petition to force a vote on the bill in the House. Having reached the signature threshold to force a vote, it is expected that the House will vote on the Major Richard Star Act on Veterans Day this Wednesday.

"On Wednesday, it will be time to finally pass a clean Richard Star Act, which veterans all over this country are going to be watching closely to make sure that their Members have listened to them and moved forward in terms of making sure those veterans get the full support and benefits, as Abraham Lincoln said, having "borne the battle," Courtney said. "I implore all of my colleagues on Wednesday when this measure comes up to vote 'yes,' send it to the Senate, get it to the White House, and end, again, this unjust concurrent receipt offset."

Currently, combat-injured veterans who were forced into medical retirement are only able to receive either U.S. Department of Defense retirement benefits or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs disability compensation. The Major Richard Star Act would amend the law to allow these medically retired veterans to receive both their full retirement pay and disability compensation.

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Mr. Speaker, in a couple of days our country will pause in one of the 12 national public holidays, Veterans Day, to recognize the sacrifice and service of veterans, both living and deceased, which is the mandate of Veterans Day.

Veterans Day first appeared in this country on November 11th, 1919, when Woodrow Wilson issued an executive order decreeing that Veterans Day would be celebrated on that day, and in 1938, Congress moved and actually made it a national holiday.

There's lots of ways people can participate in Veterans Day. They can attend veterans ceremonies. They can attend veterans parades. They can express vocally their support and appreciation for veterans in their communities. But all of us have a duty to do more, particularly here in Congress, to provide support for veterans. As Abraham Lincoln, in his second inaugural address, said, we have a duty to care for the veteran that has "borne the battle." In other words, provide real, tangible support both in terms of health care and financial services.

In a couple of days. Congress is going to have an opportunity to follow through on that mission that Abraham Lincoln announced so many years ago when we take up the Richard Star Act, finally, for passage here in the House of Representatives.

This is a bill which will end one of the greatest injustices in the Veterans Administration system of benefits, where veterans who, again, have earned a pension and have earned a disability benefit because of a service-connected injury, are no longer going to be subject to an offset which reduces those benefits which they earn.

H.R. 2102 will be up for consideration because of a discharge petition to finally end this injustice, which veterans service organizations of every stripe have come to Washington year in and year out, pointing out the blatant unfairness of people who again worn the uniform of our country and actually suffered combat related injuries, being denied the full scope of retirement benefits that they've earned as well as the disability benefits.

This is an issue that should unite both sides of the aisle when we take it up pursuant to the discharge petition. Over 300 members have cosponsored this bill here in the House of Representatives. There was an attempt to sort of tweak it and mangle it, which failed earlier in this Congress, and on Wednesday, it will be time to finally pass a clean Richard Star Act, which veterans all over this country are going to be watching closely to make sure that their Members have listened to them and moved forward in terms of making sure those veterans get the full support and benefits, as Abraham Lincoln said, having "borne the battle."

I implore all of my colleagues on Wednesday when this measure comes up to vote "yes," send it to the Senate, get it to the White House, and end, again, this unjust concurrent receipt offset.

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