WASHINGTON — Service men and women who were medically retired due to combat injuries could get thousands in new compensation.
“These are our men and women who served our nation who are not provided the ability to serve 20 years because they were injured in combat,” said Shane Liermann, Deputy National Legislative Director for Disabled American Veterans (DAV).
The Major Richard Star Act (S.344/H.R.1282) would change what he and other service organizations have said is an unfair practice that actually penalizes the veteran for being injured in the service of their country.
“It's really important for combat veterans who received military disability retirement, the way the current law is written, they cannot receive that and VA compensation at the same time,” he said.
The legislation would change that and would have a large financial impact for these specific veterans.
“There are some of my colleagues who fall into this category,” Liermann said. “They're losing on basic estimates between a thousand and fourteen hundred a month because of this offset. And it is really impactful for those who are unable to go back to work and if their spouse is a caregiver at home.”
Both bills have bipartisan support and you can read each of them by following the links below:
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