The veteran community cannot wait: Pass the take care of America’s Veterans Act now

For more than three decades in the Air Force, my mission was taking care of our people. As the service’s senior officer for manpower and personnel, I answered for the well-being of airmen and their families. Shortly after retiring in 2022, I began my next mission: Leading the Military Officers Association of America. More than 350,000 members strong, MOAA works to protect the earned benefits of all who serve and have served, along with their families and their survivors, across all ranks and uniformed services.

As part of this work, I am urging Congress to pass the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act to keep this nation’s promises to our veterans, to the caregivers who sustain them, and to the survivors who carry their legacy.

The bill includes one of MOAA’s top priorities: The Major Richard Star Act, which would end an unjust offset forcing more than 59,000 combat-injured veterans to forfeit earned retirement pay. Many of our members, and those they led, have waited years for this fix.

But there is much more to the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act. The bill gathers more than 60 pieces of legislation — almost all bipartisan, and many have been stalled in Congress for years. Together, they would help family caregivers rebuild their financial and professional futures after years of sacrifice in support of veterans. They would allow surviving spouses to retain critical benefits by removing arcane remarriage penalties, and increase Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for all........

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