How a $10 billion veterans bill became a $78 billion debate
The Major Richard Star Act, designed to end a decades-old offset forcing combat-injured medically retired veterans to forfeit retirement pay for VA disability compensation, saw its projected cost surge from $10 billion to $78.1 billion between its 2023 and 2025 versions. The Congressional Budget Office attributed the increase to two provisions: making Chapter 61 retirees with fewer than 20 years of service eligible for Concurrent Retired and Disability Pay (CRDP), adding $63 billion, and removing a cap on CRDP for those with 20+ years, adding $2 billion. Congressional staffers intended to address a narrow gap affecting about 1,124 veterans, but CBO interpreted the revisions as expanding eligibility to approximately 255,000 retirees. The disconnect has transformed the political debate around one of Congress' most broadly supported veterans bills.
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