Two bills aimed at improving veterans’ benefits have passed the U.S. House of Representatives, according to a Thursday announcement from Rep. Josh Riley’s office.
The Major Richard Star Act would address an offset affecting military retirement pay and disability benefits, while the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act would raise certain Department of Veterans Affairs benefits to account for rising living costs. Riley, who represents New York’s 19th Congressional District, cosponsored both measures, his office said.
Retirement pay and cost-of-living benefits
Riley’s office described the retirement-pay offset as the “wounded warrior tax,” saying it prevents medically retired veterans from receiving both their full retirement pay and disability benefits. The Major Richard Star Act would remove that offset for affected veterans, according to the release.
The separate cost-of-living legislation would increase certain VA benefits. The announcement did not specify an adjustment percentage or when higher payments would begin.
“Upstate veterans deserve every penny of the benefits they’ve earned. But for too long, they’ve been shortchanged by an outdated system and inaction in Washington. As costs rise across the board, these bills will make a real difference for our veterans and their families,” Riley said in the release.
The announcement reports House passage. It does not establish that either measure has become law or provide details about subsequent legislative action.
Other veterans legislation
Riley’s office also pointed to several other veterans measures he has supported. Those include the VET PFAS Act, which the office said he introduced in May 2025 to guarantee access to VA health care for veterans exposed to PFAS at military installations.
In April 2025, the House passed the Vietnam Veterans Liver Fluke Cancer Study Act, another measure Riley cosponsored. That legislation called for a study of links between service in the Vietnam theater and cholangiocarcinoma, a bile duct cancer. FingerLakes1 previously reported on that separate House action.
The office said Riley is also an original cosponsor of the Feed Hungry Veterans Act, intended to expand eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program among disabled veterans, and the Protect Veterans Jobs Act, which would reinstate laid-off veteran federal employees and require agencies to report information on veteran dismissals.
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