Carol Whitmore, commander-in-chief of Veterans of Foreign Wars, testifies on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Washington during a Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs hearing. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — Veterans of Foreign Wars and other veterans advocacy groups expressed outrage over the Senate’s refusal for a second time to vote on legislation that would enable tens of thousands of medically retired wounded veterans to collect full retirement pay.
The Major Richard Star Act was blocked from a vote on the Senate floor Tuesday after Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., objected to the cost. Johnson said the legislation would add $10 billion to $12 billion to defense spending over 10 years.
The bill would end what is known as an “offset,” which requires that military retirement pay for combat-injured veterans with less than 20 years of service be reduced by the amount of their disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Veterans advocates have been pushing for the bill for the past several years, but the estimated cost of the legislation has kept it from passing in Democrat- and Republican-controlled Congresses.
Carol Whitmore, VFW commander-in-chief, immediately responded to Tuesday’s blocked vote.
“Stop the procedural games, have a real hearing, and get this done,” said Whitmore, a retired Army nurse and the first woman to helm the organization.
“As I testified earlier today before a special joint hearing of the Senate and House Committees on Veterans’ Affairs, the Major Richard Star Act will fix the unjust offset affecting more than 50,000 medically retired combat veterans,” Whitmore said.
The dollar-for-dollar reduction often represents a loss of several thousand dollars per year for disabled veterans.
“This is not double-dipping. This is a double sacrifice. Veterans have fulfilled their obligation. Now the country must honor the contract,” Whitmore said.
The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America described the practice as a “wounded veteran tax” that penalizes former service members whose injuries forced them into early retirement.
Only veterans with disability ratings above 50 percent and more than 20 years of service are eligible to receive full benefits.
“This is not a matter of partisan politics; it is a matter of honoring our nation’s promise to those who sacrificed so much in service to this country,” the IAVA said after the bill did not advance to a vote.
“While we are disappointed that the Senate did not move this legislation forward today, this outcome only strengthens our resolve,” the organization said.
Adoption of the bill is a critical policy goal for the Disabled American Veterans.
DAV described current policy as unjust for conflating two distinct benefits. The organization argues that retirement pay is earned through service, while disability compensation is for injuries sustained.
“For too long, a policy has existed that unfairly reduces the retirement pay of medically retired combat veterans who also receive VA disability compensation,” according to the organization.
This was the second time since October that the Major Richard Star Act was blocked from advancing to a full Senate vote.
“This legislation has never been accepted because we simply cannot afford it,” Johnson, the Wisconsin Republican, said on the Senate floor, citing the $39 trillion national debt.
Johnson noted a sharp increase in the cost of veterans benefits since passage of the PACT Act, which awards benefits to veterans who developed medical conditions from exposures to burn pits and other toxins.
In fiscal 2019, the VA spent $200 billion on veterans benefits, which is about $11,500 per veterans, Johnson said.
In fiscal 2026, the VA will spend an estimated $435 billion on veterans benefits, which is $28,000 per veteran.
“Somebody’s has got to look at this,” Johnson said.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, of Connecticut, the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee had asked for unanimous consent for passage of the Major Richard Star Act on the Senate floor, prompting Johnson’s objection.
“The simple request for a vote has been denied [and] there are a variety of excuses that have been offered, like it costs too much,” Blumenthal said.
“Well, as the National Commander for the [Veterans of Foreign Wars] said today, in supporting this bill, costs of providing for our veterans are part of the cost of war,” Blumenthal said.
