The House passed the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, including the Major Richard Star Act, by a 392-18 vote; the Star Act would let combat-injured veterans medically retired before 20 years of service receive both full military retirement pay and VA disability compensation.

The broader package combines more than 60 veterans’ bills, with provisions for combat-disabled retirees, surviving spouses, caregivers, Guard and Reserve members, and veterans using community care.

The measure has attracted strong bipartisan support but stalled for years over budget rules requiring offsets for new mandatory spending; it gained more than 330 House cosponsors and qualified for the House Consensus Calendar in 2023 without a floor vote.

Beyond compensation, the package would expand community-based mental health and suicide-prevention grants, offer more non-drug treatments for traumatic brain injuries and mental health needs, and reform VA facility construction.

It also includes the Love Lives On Act, which would allow certain surviving spouses to remarry before age 55 without losing Dependency and Indemnity Compensation and Survivor Benefit Plan payments.

Other survivor provisions would raise Dependency and Indemnity Compensation by 3% over three years beyond regular cost-of-living increases and address a benefits gap for spouses of veterans who died from service-connected ALS.

Caregiver provisions would extend CHAMPVA coverage for up to 180 days after eligible participants leave the VA caregiver program and offer employment assistance, including up to $1,000 in lifetime reimbursement for qualifying certification or relicensure costs.

The package’s most contentious funding provisions would change future disability ratings for sleep apnea and tinnitus, reducing compensation for some future claims but not for veterans already receiving those benefits.

For sleep apnea, the proposal would end the automatic 50% rating based solely on successful use of a CPAP or similar device; the new ratings would instead reflect symptoms, treatment effectiveness and end-organ damage.

The rating changes would apply only to claims filed after enactment and could not reduce or end compensation already in effect; House rules did not allow amendments to remove the provisions.

Supporters say projected savings from VA regulatory changes and loan fees would fund expanded programs and help satisfy federal PAYGO requirements, but critics argue the approach takes benefits from some veterans to pay for others.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the package would increase direct spending by $13 billion from 2027 through 2036, while veterans’ groups including the American Legion and the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors have backed its advancement but raised concerns about the offsets.