January 19, 2026
Combat-wounded former service members say current policy denies them earned military retirement, despite lifelong, service-connected injuries.
Two Army veterans, Lyle Allen and Chad Rogers, say they are among thousands of disabled service members nationwide who feel they have been shortchanged by the federal government after careers cut short by combat-related injuries. Allen and Rogers are now urging Congress to pass the Major Richard Star Act, a bipartisan bill they say would correct what they view as a long-standing injustice in how disabled veterans are compensated with retirement benefits.
Both men are disabled, members of the Wounded Warrior Project, and former high-ranking sergeants who expected to spend decades in uniform before their injuries forced them out of the Army.
The proposed legislation would eliminate a policy that prevents certain combat-disabled veterans from receiving both military retirement pay and Department of Veterans Affairs disability compensation. Under current rules, veterans medically retired with fewer than 20 years of service must often choose between the two benefits.
“We are eligible for all the benefits except our retirement,” Rogers said in an interview, according to Military. “So, we are retired without retirement.”
Allen echoed that frustration, describing the policy as discouraging and unfair. “In the military, it’s just a disability; you can’t collect workman’s comp or your retirement after you get injured,” he said.
The bill is named for Major Richard Star, an Army officer who died in 2021 after a prolonged battle with lung cancer. Star had been deployed to Iraq, where he was exposed to toxic burn pits believed to have contributed to his illness. While undergoing chemotherapy, Star was informed by the Department of Defense that he was not eligible to receive both retirement pay and disability benefits — a decision that galvanized advocates pushing for reform.
Rogers and Allen say they encountered similar resistance when they sought compensation after leaving the service. Both men planned long-term military careers but were forced to medically retire due to injuries sustained overseas.
Allen spent 14 years in the Army as a combat engineer. His life changed permanently after his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device during a deployment in Iraq. “I was driving a five-ton vehicle, we got hit by an improvised explosive device,” he said. “I don’t remember too much… I am 100 percent disabled, service-connected.”
Allen has also received a “total and permanent” disability rating from the VA, meaning his traumatic brain injury is not expected to improve.
Rogers’ injuries stem from chemical exposure during his deployment. “It ended up being chemical exposure while I was in theater,” he said. “There were places that I would go into, and the air would taste weird, or the air would burn your skin.”
Both veterans come from military families, with grandfathers who served in World War II. Rogers said his goal when enlisting was to serve at least 20 years. “The goal was 30 years,” he said.
Supporters of the Major Richard Star Act argue it would provide long-overdue relief to combat-wounded veterans and protect future generations. “This just doesn’t affect myself personally; this affects our future generation as well,” Allen said.
While the bill has garnered widespread bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress, its cost remains a major obstacle. Previous versions failed due to funding concerns. Even so, advocates say the measure represents a fair and necessary correction for those who sacrificed their health in service to the country.
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