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Few people would argue that we owe a huge debt of gratitude to the brave men and women who are willing to — and often do — place their health and very lives in harm’s way in order to protect our nation, its people and interests through military service. They deserve — and need — our help in dealing with any injuries and disabilities they might have suffered as a result of that service.
That doesn’t mean their compensation is always fair.
Currently, any retirement benefits received by a veteran who served fewer than 20 years are reduced by the amount of their disability compensation. A bill to change that reduction is pending in Congress. As of Thursday House Resolution 1282, titled the Major Richard Star Act, was on the House Union Calendar, which reviews all proposed legislation that would affect the expenditure of tax funds.
Action on this legislation should be expedited, and it needs to pass.
On the books, veterans continue to receive disability benefits. However, the reduction from their retirement amount means their net compensation is the same as if they had no disability.
However, a disability benefit is not normal retirement compensation, and few people are likely to argue that it is. It helps veterans deal with the costs they might incur for dealing with a service-related injury or disability, such as medical care, special equipment that can include prosthetic limbs or housing accommodations. These are extra costs most able-bodied veterans don’t have to bear, and reducing their retirement allocation means veterans with disabilities have less money for food, clothing and other expenses for which retirement funds are intended.
The reduction can be considered a penalty for not serving 20 years in the military. For many veterans, however, their service-related injury or disability could be the reason they were unable to serve that long, even if they wanted to.
Removing the reduction would help countless veterans who must deal every day with the unfortunate consequences of helping to protect our country — and us. It surely would make life better — perhaps a little more normal — for many people and their families living in the Rio Grande Valley, where a 2021 report by the Texas Workforce Investment Council estimated as many as 30,000 veterans might be living, many of them with some sort of service-related disability.
Fortunately, HR 1282 has a good chance of passing the House, where more than 300 members have signed on as co-sponsors. The only member of the Valley delegation to sign on, and one of only seven Texas House members, however, is Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen.
We encourage other Valley lawmakers to add their support to the Major Richard Star Act, and work to expedite its passage.
Service to our country — to each one of us — can have terrible, unexpected consequences, including death. Many of those who don’t pay the ultimate price, however, must endure a lifetime of pain or disability, of varying degrees, that result from their service. The assistance they deserve for dealing with their medical issues should not be penalized because they didn’t — or couldn’t — serve a full 20 years in our armed forces.
