Retired Army Maj. Richard Star, 51, passed away early Saturday morning after a years-long battle with lung cancer linked to burn pit exposure on deployments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A former combat engineer with multiple overseas tours, Star spent the last months of his life advocating for disabled and medically retired veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRich Star saved countless lives by clearing roads in Afghanistan of IEDs, and now in his legacy he\u2019s still working to clear the road for concurrent receipt for his fellow servicemembers,\u201d said retired Army Lt. Col. Mark Belinsky, director of currently serving and retired affairs for the Military Officers Association of America<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chapter 61 retirees, like Star, are service members who were medically retired due to injuries sustained on duty prior to achieving 20 years in service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Under current laws, such retirees are not eligible for concurrent receipt<\/a>, meaning their military longevity pay is reduced by the amount of VA disability compensation they receive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Service members have earned both their retirement pay and their disability compensation<\/a>, Belinsky said, and having one shouldn\u2019t mean receiving less of the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Major Richard Star Act, introduced by Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., on Feb. 27, 2020, would have secured the right of concurrent receipt for approximately 43,000 Chapter 61 retirees injured in combat zones.<\/p>\n\n\n\t