Rep. Tran Lauds House Passage of Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Benefits for Combat-Injured Veterans

Washington, D.C. –  U.S. Representative Derek Tran (CA-45) celebrated the passage of the Major Richard Star Act, which will allow combat-injured veterans to receive their full retirement pay and disability compensation simultaneously. Representative Tran co-sponsored the bill and signed the discharge petition to bring the bill to the House Floor, where it passed shortly after Veterans Day. Unlike past legislation, this bill also applies to veterans with a combat-related disability who have fewer than 20 years of service, expanding access to VA benefits. Now, the bill awaits Senate consideration. 

Under the current policy, service members are required to return home and retire from service upon being injured. During retirement, their earned disability benefits are deducted from their retirement benefits, significantly decreasing their monthly compensation – which covers their food, medicine, and other critical expenses. If passed by the Senate, this legislation would allow all combat-injured veterans who were medically retired, regardless of the length of their service, to accept the full amount of their earned disability and retirement benefits. 

“As an Army veteran, my commitment to my brothers and sisters who served is steadfast. Under current policy, combat-injured veterans are forced to forfeit part of their benefits because of injuries beyond their control. It’s just plain wrong: combat-injured veterans must receive their full disability and retirement pay, full stop. I’m proud to have supported this bill to expand benefits for those who sustained lasting injuries in service to our country, and I urge my Senate colleagues to swiftly pass this bipartisan legislation,” said Representative Tran.

H.R. 2102, or the Major Richard Star Act, was introduced by Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL-12); however, at the time, it was not considered by the House Armed Services Committee. Representative Mark Takano (D-CA-39) brought the bill to the House Floor through a discharge petition, which garnered the required 218 signatures needed to be considered on the House floor. On Thursday, November 12, 2026, the bill passed 392-18. This legislation was named after the late Major Richard Star of the U.S. Army Reserve, a combat-injured veteran and advocate for injured veterans. 

As a member of the powerful House Armed Services Committee, Representative Tran is continuously working to expand protections and benefits for veterans: 

• In July 2025, Representative Tran led a letter with Representative Correa to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), urging federal support for the construction of the Southern California Veterans Cemetery at Gypsum Canyon. 
• In September 2026, Representative Tran and colleagues sent a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom to ensure CalVets accepts the funding to build the cemetery. 
• Rep. Tran’s first piece of legislation, the Protect Veteran Jobs Act, supports the livelihoods of veterans who were wrongfully removed from their civil service positions and allows them to continue serving their country as part of the federal workforce.
• Representative Tran introduced the bipartisan Delivering Digitally to Our Veterans Act to allow veterans the option to receive G.I. Bill information and benefits through electronic messages, reducing unnecessary paperwork and increasing accessibility. 
• Representative Tran also introduced the Carlton H. Ingram Veterans’ Benefits Protection Act to protect veterans’ disability benefits from a change at the Department of Veterans Affairs that would have cut benefits for veterans who rely on medication to manage their disabilities.

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