Toolkit: help pass the Star Act where you live
For VFW, American Legion, DAV, and other posts and chapters, and for anyone who wants to do more than one call.
Every download carries the line “PassTheStarAct.org, an independent, veteran-led campaign” so no one mistakes it for a VSO or government document. Please don’t remove it. You’re welcome to print and share everything here freely; please keep it unchanged so the facts and sources stay accurate.
The one-page fact sheet
What the bill does, who it covers, where it stands, the ask, and sources, with a QR code to the lawmaker tool. Print it for your next meeting or hand it to a reporter.
Flyer
“End the wounded veteran tax,” three short points, and a QR code to passthestaract.org/take-action. No dates that go stale, so you can post it anywhere.
Meeting kit for lawmakers’ offices
A printable checklist for meeting your representative’s or senators’ offices: what to do before, during, and after, with the exact ask to make. Bring the fact sheet as your leave-behind.
Questions to ask at a town hall or candidate forum
1. “Will you vote YES on the clean, standalone Major Richard Star Act when it reaches the floor, with no cuts to other veterans’ benefits?”
For incumbents who cosponsored
2. “You cosponsored the Star Act. Will you vote for it on the floor as written, and oppose any motion to delay it?”
For Senate candidates and senators
3. “When the House passes the Star Act, will you pass it without changes, and without cutting other veterans’ benefits, before this Congress ends on January 3, 2027?”
Tips
- Say you’re a constituent (and a veteran if you are).
- Keep it under 30 seconds.
- Ask for a yes or no.
- Thank them for answering either way.
We don’t collect or publish candidates’ answers; this is about getting them to think about the bill.
Talking points
- Retired pay is earned by service; VA compensation is for the injury. Two different payments.
- It’s narrow: about 54,000–60,000 combat-injured veterans medically retired before 20 years.
- It’s bipartisan: about 340 House cosponsors and about 80 in the Senate.
- A discharge petition reached 218 signatures on Sept. 15, 2026, which lets supporters force a House vote. It’s expected after the House returns in November.
- If Congress hasn’t passed it and sent it to the President by January 3, 2027, it dies and starts over.
- The clean version doesn’t cut any other veteran’s benefits.
How to write a letter your member of Congress will read
Congressional staff read personal letters closely and tally form letters in bulk. A few sentences in your own words make your message count. Print this section for call-in days.
What to share about your service
General is fine.
You don’t have to name a diagnosis. “A blast injury,” “injuries from combat,” or “an illness from burn pit exposure” is enough.
Sentence starters:
- “I served [number] years in the [branch] as a [job].”
- “I deployed to [place] in [year].”
- “[An injury or illness] ended my career at [number] years.”
What the offset has cost you: ideas to consider
Choose what’s true for you.
- Working through pain or symptoms because you need the income
- Taking a second job, or a job you’re not suited for
- A spouse leaving work to become a caregiver
- Putting off treatment, therapy, or equipment because of cost
- Falling behind on rent or a mortgage, or selling a home
- Taking on debt, or draining savings
- Missing time with your kids, or things your kids had to go without
- The feeling of being penalized for how you were hurt
Sentence starters:
Use the dollar amount only if you know it. Otherwise, use the second starter.
- “Every month, the offset takes about $[amount] of the retired pay I earned.”
- “Every month, part of my earned retired pay is taken back.”
- “Because of the offset, my family has had to [what changed].”
What your full, earned pay would make possible: ideas
- Keeping up with rent or a mortgage
- A reliable car to get to medical appointments
- Therapy or treatment not otherwise covered
- Home changes for accessibility
- Childcare, or a spouse being able to work again
- Your kids’ education
- Saving for retirement, like any other retiree
Sentence starters:
- “With my full retired pay, I could [what you’d do].”
Local details that get noticed
- Your town or county, your VFW/Legion/DAV post, a nearby base, a local VA clinic.
Sentence starters:
- “I’m one of many combat-injured veterans in [town or county].”
For family members and caregivers
- What you’ve given up (work, time, plans), what you see your veteran go through, what full pay would change for your household.
Sentence starters:
- “I’m the [spouse, parent, child] of a combat-injured [branch] veteran.”
For supporters
- Why you care, or a veteran you know (share their story only with their permission, and leave out their name).
Do
- Use your own words. One true, specific detail beats a polished paragraph.
- Keep it to 150–300 words. Short is fine.
- Be respectful, even if you’re frustrated. Staff pass along courteous letters.
- Name the bill: the Major Richard Star Act, H.R. 2102.
Don’t
- Copy paragraphs from websites, including this one. Offices recognize repeated text.
- Include your Social Security number, VA file number, or detailed medical records.
- Guess at numbers you don’t know.
- Attack the lawmaker, a party, or other veterans. It gets letters set aside.
Privacy note: Congressional offices keep the messages they receive. Share only what you’re comfortable with.
If writing is hard right now
- One sentence of your own is enough. So is a phone call (on the Take Action page, the call script is on each lawmaker’s card).
- Try your device’s voice-to-text.
- Ask a family member or a service officer at your VFW, Legion, or DAV post to help you write it.
Letters to the editor
Why: Local papers are read closely by congressional staff. Letters are short (usually 150–250 words; check your paper’s limit) and should be in your own words.
Guide: Name your member of Congress. Say who you are. One local detail. One ask. Don’t copy a template word for word; papers reject identical letters.
Starter outline (not a template to copy)
- Who you are and why you care (one sentence).
- The problem in plain words (two sentences).
- What the clean Star Act does (one sentence).
- The specific ask to your representative/senators by name.
- The deadline: January 3, 2027.
Resolution for your post or chapter
A short template your post or chapter can adopt, sign, and send.
How to use it
- Adopt it at a meeting, following your organization’s usual procedure.
- Sign it, then send a copy to each office (your representative and both senators) and to your local paper.
- Check your organization’s own policies on adopting resolutions before using this template.
Read the template text
Resolution in Support of the Clean, Standalone Major Richard Star Act (H.R. 2102)
WHEREAS, under current law, combat-injured service members who are medically retired under Chapter 61 of title 10, United States Code, with fewer than 20 years of service have their military retired pay reduced by the amount of VA disability compensation they receive;
WHEREAS, military retired pay is earned by service and VA disability compensation is paid for an injury or illness caused by service, and veterans who serve 20 years with a VA disability rating of 50 percent or higher can generally receive both in full;
WHEREAS, the clean, standalone Major Richard Star Act (H.R. 2102, as brought to the House floor by H.Res. 1247) would end this offset for about 54,000–60,000 combat-injured veterans, without cutting any other veteran’s benefits;
WHEREAS, the Major Richard Star Act has about 340 House cosponsors and about 80 Senate cosponsors from both parties;
WHEREAS, a discharge petition to bring the bill to the House floor reached 218 signatures on September 15, 2026;
WHEREAS, Major Richard Star, a U.S. Army Reserve combat engineer medically retired short of 20 years with stage 4 lung cancer linked to burn pits, spent his final months advocating for this bill and died on February 13, 2021; and
WHEREAS, if Congress does not pass the bill and send it to the President before the 119th Congress ends on January 3, 2027, it will expire and must be reintroduced;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that [Post/Chapter name] urges [Representative] and Senators [names] to support passage of the clean, standalone Major Richard Star Act (H.R. 2102), with no cuts to other veterans’ benefits, before this Congress ends on January 3, 2027; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution be sent to the offices of [Representative] and Senators [names] and to local news media.
Adopted by [Post/Chapter name] on [date].
Template provided by PassTheStarAct.org, an independent, veteran-led campaign
Organize a call-in day
- 1Pick a date.
- 2Share the link: passthestaract.org/take-action.
- 3Gather at the post with phones.
- 4Everyone calls three offices: their representative and both senators.
- 5Report the number of calls to your local paper and on social media.
Print the fact sheet and the letter guide for people who’d rather write.
Graphics and posts for social media
Four designs in four sizes: Square (1080×1080), Portrait (1080×1350), Story (1080×1920), Link (1200×630). Hashtags: #MajorRichardStarAct #EndTheWoundedVeteranTax #PassTheStarAct. Please include the alt text when you post.
End the wounded veteran tax.
Two payments. Earned for two different reasons.
218 signatures. A House vote is within reach. Ask for YES.
If Congress doesn’t finish by Jan. 3, 2027, it dies.
Alt text for all graphics (text file)
Suggested posts
Copy one, add a sentence of your own if you can, and post it with a graphic.
Combat-injured veterans medically retired before 20 years are denied their full retired pay because they also receive VA compensation. It’s called the wounded veteran tax. The clean Star Act ends it, and a House vote is expected after the election. Find your lawmakers: passthestaract.org #MajorRichardStarAct #EndTheWoundedVeteranTax
For Facebook and Instagram (59 characters too long for X)Retired pay: earned by years of service. VA compensation: for an injury caused by service. Two payments for two different things. Veterans with 20+ years and a 50%+ rating can generally get both. Combat-injured veterans forced out early can’t. That’s what #MajorRichardStarAct fixes. passthestaract.org/the-offset
For Facebook and Instagram (27 characters too long for X)The Major Richard Star Act discharge petition reached 218 signatures on Sept. 15. That lets supporters force a House vote, expected after the House returns in November. Then the Senate must act before this Congress ends Jan. 3, 2027. See where your lawmakers stand: passthestaract.org/status
For Facebook and Instagram (9 characters too long for X)Every House seat is on the ballot Nov. 3. If a candidate asks for your vote, ask one question back: “Will you vote YES on the clean, standalone Major Richard Star Act when it reaches the floor, with no cuts to other veterans’ benefits?” Town hall questions: passthestaract.org/toolkit #MajorRichardStarAct
For Facebook and Instagram (22 characters too long for X)Maj. Richard Star was an Army Reserve combat engineer whose units built roads and cleared IEDs in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer linked to burn pits, medically retired short of 20 years, and spent his final months fighting for this bill. He died in 2021. Congress can still keep its promise to him. passthestaract.org/major-richard-star
For Facebook and Instagram (75 characters too long for X)Combat-injured veterans: what would your offset cover? Rent? A car that runs? Therapy? Tell us privately. With your permission, we’ll help put it in front of Congress. passthestaract.org/stories/share #EndTheWoundedVeteranTax
Fits on X (216 of 280 characters)
Posting tips
- Instagram doesn’t make links in captions clickable. Put passthestaract.org in your bio and say “link in bio.”
- On X, a link counts as 23 characters no matter how long it is.
- Tag your own representative and senators. The Take Action page shows their office accounts after you enter your ZIP code.
- Post from your personal account and from your post’s or chapter’s account, if it has one.
Logo files
For press and local coverage. Download logos on the press page.