Read on to learn about the VA benefits you can get and what can affect your eligibility—including when you can get priority with a 60% or higher VA disability rating.
A veteran must meet a threshold level of eligibility to be considered for any VA benefit. To be eligible for VA benefits, you must have:
After meeting these basic requirements, you’ll need to meet additional requirements of the specific benefits programs.
For the sake of qualifying for most VA benefits, active military service includes the following:
For some VA benefits, in some cases, the following also counts as active service:
Even if you meet the active military service requirement above, the VA won’t consider you a veteran for benefit purposes unless you were discharged "under conditions other than dishonorable." Discharges that qualify for benefits include:
Veterans with dishonorable discharges can’t receive benefits of any kind from the VA. And you might not be eligible for certain VA benefits if you:
(Details are available in our articles on the specific benefit linked below.)
But you might be able to get your record changed to give you a character of discharge that will qualify for benefits by applying for a discharge upgrade or military records correction.
Under VA rules, “willful misconduct” is "an act involving conscious wrongdoing or known prohibited action."
If you’re a disabled veteran and you’re seeking a VA benefit based on a disability that was caused by your own willful misconduct, you likely won’t get benefits for that disability. But to bar your benefits, the VA has to prove that your willful misconduct caused your disability.
Disabled veterans can get many benefits through the VA, including cash payments and medical benefits. The following are the various benefits that veterans with disabilities can receive.
Service-connected disability compensation (also called VA disability) is a monthly cash benefit payable to disabled veterans. To be eligible for service-connected disability compensation, in addition to the basic eligibility requirements described above, you must be disabled due to one of the following reasons:
Once the VA determines that you have a service-connected disability, the agency assigns a disability rating from 10% to 100%. The higher your disability rating, the more severe the VA considers your disability, and the higher your monthly compensation will be.
For example, let’s say you have residual effects after a knee replacement because of a service-connected injury, and the VA has rated you 60% disabled. With a 60% VA disability rating, your monthly benefits would be at least $1,319.65 (in 2023).
Veterans with spouses, dependent children, and dependent parents will receive more. And for certain severe disabilities, such as loss of vision or a limb, Special Monthly Compensation is also available.
Learn more about the VA benefits you can get for a service-connected disability.
The VA pension is a monthly cash benefit for disabled and retired veterans. To be eligible to receive a VA pension, you must have:
If you have a total and permanent disability (or were deemed disabled by the Social Security Administration), you can receive the disability pension. If you're age 65 or older, but not disabled, you can receive the basic pension.
In addition, some veterans can qualify for “improved pensions” with Housebound Benefits or Aid and Attendance (A&A) benefits.
Learn more about your eligibility for a VA pension, including what qualifies as wartime service and how to meet the financial requirements.
Concurrent Retirement and Disability Payments (CRDP) is a program allowing certain military retirees to receive retirement benefits and disability payments at the same time. To qualify for CRDP, you must be a military retiree with the following:
For more information, see Nolo's article on Concurrent Retirement and Disability Payments (CRDP).
Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSP) is a special program providing compensation to certain military retirees for combat-related injuries and illnesses. If you’re a military retiree, you might qualify for CRSP if you have:
Learn more about how to qualify for Combat-Related Special Compensation.
You don’t need to have a disability caused by service or to have served in combat operations or during wartime to be able to get VA health care. But in some cases, you’ll pay copays for medical treatment—depending on your type of service.
If you enlisted after September 7, 1980, or entered active duty after October 16, 1981, you’ll need continuous service for at least two years to be eligible for VA health care. If you were discharged for a service-connected disability or due to hardship, you might not have to meet this minimum service requirement.
If you served before September 7, 1980, you don’t have to meet a minimum service requirement.
For more information, see Nolo's article on how to qualify for VA health care.
While priority for VA nursing home care is given to veterans with service-connected disabilities rated at 60% or higher, any veteran who meets the basic eligibility requirements for VA benefits can qualify for VA nursing home care. Learn more about the qualification and types of nursing home care available through the VA.
Other VA benefits you might be eligible to receive include education benefits and home loan guarantees. And if you’re a war veteran, you could get hiring preferences for federal jobs. And most disabled veterans can qualify for a special student loan forgiveness program.
Most states offer disabled veterans license plates that allow you to park in accessible parking spots. But many states have other benefits available to veterans too.
And if you served at least 24 consecutive months or completed your term of service, you’re likely eligible for burial in a VA cemetery. If you’re a disabled veteran, your family might also receive a burial allowance.
For more information about all VA benefit programs and detailed eligibility requirements, visit the Veterans Benefits Administration website.
You can apply for VA benefits online or by calling or visiting your local VA office. You can also complete the appropriate forms and mail them to the VA:
If you go through the whole application process and the VA denies you the veterans benefits you think you qualify for, you can appeal the VA denial. You might benefit from talking with a VA-certified disability lawyer.
Updated June 26, 2023
]]>CRSC allows veterans who are receiving compensation for combat-related disabilities to recover the reduction in retirement pay as a result of the offset. But CRSC only restores the offset for any compensation for your combat-related disabilities, not all of your service-connected disabilities.
Both active duty service members and reservists can qualify for CRSC. In order to get CRSC, you’ll need to meet all of the following requirements:
A service-connected disability is an injury or illness that started—or got worse—while you were in service. Secondary medical conditions that result from an initial injury can also be service-connected. If your disability isn’t rated at 10%, or the VA didn’t think it was service-connected, you can appeal the rating or denial of benefits.
Not all service-connected disabilities are related to combat. To qualify for CRSC, you’ll need to provide evidence showing that your disability was directly caused by combat-related service. Examples of combat-related service include training that simulates war, hazardous duty, using an instrument of war, or armed conflict.
You can establish combat-related service with the following documents:
Disabilities caused by exposure to Agent Orange, chemical exposure in the Gulf, and other hazards are considered combat-related for the purposes of receiving CRSC benefits.
If your disabling injury directly resulted from activities simulating war, it’s considered combat-related. Weapons practice, hand-to-hand combat training, and war games are examples of training that simulates war. Routine physical training exercises don’t qualify as combat-related, however.
Hazardous duty means activities such as diving, parachuting, or flying. For example, if you have a back injury that occurred from an improperly packed parachute, or a pulmonary disease that arose from deep-sea diving, you can establish that your disability was combat-related.
Even if your disability didn’t occur during an active period of war, you can still show that your condition is combat-related if it was directly caused by an “instrumentality of war.” Instrumentalities of war are vehicles, vessels, or devices designed and intended for military use. Qualifying disabilities might include an accident in a military vehicle, an injury caused by a weapon, or an illness resulting from exposure to chemical materials.
Your disability is combat-related if it was directly caused by the armed conflict you were engaged in. It isn’t enough if your disability was caused while you were serving during a period of war or near armed conflict. You must be able to specifically show that your injury or illness was directly caused by your involvement in the armed conflict.
In addition to being actively engaged in combat, armed conflict includes an occupation, raid, or other action against a hostile nation. Likewise, it includes being a POW or being detained by the enemy.
Because CRSC pay is based on disability compensation rates, the amount you’ll receive is based on your disability rating (along with additional factors such as whether you’re married and have dependents).
You may also be entitled to CRSC retroactive benefits (“back pay”). Retroactive payment dates are generally based on the date you became eligible for CRSC benefits, as determined by your branch of service.
You can receive a maximum six years’ worth of retroactive pay, however. So if you apply for CRSC ten years after the VA starts paying you disability compensation, your CRSC retroactive payment won’t go back further than six years.
To apply for CRSC, you need to fill out DD Form 2860, Claim for Combat-Related Special Compensation, and submit it to your branch of the military. You can check the address of your uniformed service below.
AIR FORCE and SPACE FORCE
United States Air Force
Disability Division (CRSC)
HQ AFPC/DPPDC
550 C St. West
Randolph AFB, TX 78150-4708
ARMY
Department of the Army
US Army Human Resources CMD
ATTN: AHRC-PDP-C (CRSC)
1600 Spearhead Division Ave., Dept 420
Fort Knox, KY 40122-5408
You can also send your CRSC Army application by email at usarmy.knox.hrc.mbx.tagd-crsc-claims@mail.mil, or fax it to 502-613-9550.
COAST GUARD
Commander (PSC-PSD-MED)
Personnel Service Center, Attn: CRSC
2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20593-7200
You can send any questions about applying for CRSC to the Coast Guard at ARL-SMB-CGPSC-PSD-CRSC@uscg.mil.
NAVY and MARINE CORPS
Secretary of the Navy
Council of Review Boards
Attn: Combat-Related Special Compensation Branch
720 Kennon Street SE, Suite 309
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5023
Once you submit your CRSC application, it takes about 60 to 90 business days for your claim to be processed. If your application is approved, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) will perform an audit to see if you qualify for back pay.
If your application is denied, or you disagree with the amount of benefits you were awarded, you can file an appeal (“reconsideration”) with your military branch.
AIR FORCE. You’ll receive a reconsideration request form in the mail along with your decision letter. Send it along with any new evidence to the following address:
HQ AFPC/DPFDC
550 C Street West
JBSA Randolph, TX 78150
ARMY. Print out the CRSC Form 12e, Reconsideration Request Form, and mail it, along with any new evidence, to the following address:
Department of the Army
U.S. Army Human Resources Command
Attn: AHRC-PDP-C (CRSC)
1600 Spearhead Division Avenue, Dept. 480
Fort Knox, KY 40122-5408
You can also fax Form 12e to 502-613-9550 or send it by email to usarmy.knox.hrc.mbx.tagd-crsc-claims@mail.mil.
COAST GUARD. You don’t need to fill out a special form to request reconsideration from the Coast Guard. Just send a letter and any new evidence to the following address:
Commander (PSC-PSD-MED)
Personnel Service Center, Attn: CRSC
2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20593-7200
Or you can email your request to ARL-SMB-CGPSC-PSD-CRSC@uscg.mil.
NAVY and MARINE CORPS. Print out the CRSC Reconsideration Request Form or call 877-366-2772 to have the form sent to you by mail or email. Mail the form (along with any new evidence) to the following address:
Secretary of the Navy Council of Review Boards
Combat-Related Special Compensation Board
720 Kennon Street SE, Suite 309
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5023
You can also send them by email to CRSC@navy.mil.
You may be eligible for both CRSC and another, related benefit called concurrent retirement and disability pay (CRDP). For more information, see our article on restoring VA disability offsets.
Updated June 16, 2023
]]>Dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) benefits are for survivors of service members who were killed on active duty and for survivors of veterans who died from service-connected disabilities or had a 100% disability rating for a period of time before death.
If your veteran spouse passed away while his or her claim for disability compensation benefits was pending, and the claim is approved, you may be entitled to the accrued disability benefits (back payments) that are due to your deceased veteran (more on this below). But you won’t receive ongoing disability compensation payments; instead you may be eligible for dependents indemnity compensation (DIC) benefits.
Only family members of deceased veterans who meet the following requirements are eligible for DIC. The veteran must have died:
Surviving spouses and children may be eligible for DIC if they meet the following requirements.
A surviving spouse must meet one of the following requirements to be eligible for DIC. The person must have:
Also, the surviving spouse must have lived with the veteran without any separations until the veteran died, unless the surviving spouse was not responsible for the separation.
In some cases, remarriage makes a surviving spouse ineligible for DIC. This depends on the date of the remarriage and the age of the surviving spouse on the date of remarriage.
Surviving spouses who remarry after age 57 remain eligible for DIC despite the remarriage. A spouse who remarries before age 57 will not be considered eligible for DIC, unless the marriage happened before December 16, 2003.
A surviving child is eligible for DIC if the child isn't included in the survivor spouse's DIC, is unmarried, and is under age 18 (or under age 23 and attending school).
The first step will be to notify the VA of the veteran’s death by completing a Report of Casualty form. Then complete the VA Form 21-534 application form and submit it to your nearest VA regional office. You can also request the DIC application form by phone at 800-827-1000.
Accrued benefits are the cash benefits due to the veteran between the date they applied for service-connected disability compensation and the date they were finally awarded disability compensation. Sometimes a veteran may die before receiving this lump sum of back payments, or retroactive payment of disability compensation.
Surviving spouses or children who meet the DIC requirements described above can also apply to receive any retroactive sum payment for service-connected disability compensation that was due the deceased veteran. At times, this can be a significant sum of money.
A request for payment of accrued benefits is included on the same VA application form (21-354) that is used to request DIC, and has the same application process as described above.
The surviving spouse and children of a veteran who served during wartime who are ineligible for DIC may be eligible for the death pension benefit if they are unmarried and they fall within the low-income guidelines of the program. The amount of the death pension depends on your income; learn how the VA determines the amount of the death pension benefit.
A surviving spouse is eligible at any time until remarriage, whereas a surviving child is only eligible if he or she is:
What counts as wartime service for the purpose of the death pension requirements? If the veteran served on or prior to September 7, 1980, the full period of service must have been at least 90 days without at least one day during wartime for survivors to be eligible for the pension.
Veterans who went on active duty after September 7, 1980 must have served a full 24 months or the full period of service, and also have served at least one day during wartime.
Many times veterans and their families believe the veteran’s service qualifies as wartime, but the VA has strictly defined only certain periods as wartime.
The family annual income has to be less than the income and assets limits of the death pension program to qualify a spouse or child for the benefit.
The first step is to notify the VA of the veteran’s death by completing a Report of Casualty form. Next, complete the application form for death pension and submit it to your nearest VA regional office. The application form is the same one as for DIC and accrued benefits. Both forms can be found in this article, under the section"How to Apply for DIC. "You can also request the application form by phone at 800-827-1000.
If you apply for DIC, accrued benefits, or a death pension and receive a denial letter from the VA, you have the right to appeal this decision. Contact a veterans disability lawyer for assistance.
]]>To count as permanent and total disability, a veteran must have a disability that is service-connected, rated 100% (based on either the Schedule for Rating Disabilities or TDIU), and considered permanent.
A veteran is considered totally and permanently disabled if they have received a disability rating of 100% for service-connected disability compensation and the VA does not expect the condition to improve. It’s pretty easy to figure out if the veteran has a 100% rating, you’ll find this rating on much of the paperwork received from the VA, including the original letter granting benefits. But how do you know if the VA expects the condition to be unchanging and therefore considers the disability permanent?
Take a look at the decision letter the VA sent to the veteran when granting benefits. Look for language like “Eligibility to dependents Chapter 35 DEA / CHAMPVA are established” or “No future exams are scheduled,” or similar language. Such language indicates that the rating of total disability is permanent. The exact language used may vary with different VA regional offices.
If, however, the letter says “future exams are scheduled,” then the 100% total disability rating is temporary and will be subject to possible reduction after a future medical reexamination.
If you are rated 100% disabled based on Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU), your rating may be temporary or permanent. Even if your award letter says future exams aren't scheduled, the VA can choose to bring you in for reexamination at any time if your TDIU is considered temporary. You will need to write to the VA (see below) to request that your disability be deemed permanent.
Make sure you submit an Employment Questionnaire to your VA Regional Office every year to maintain your TDIU status. Mail it around the time of year that you got your award letter. Send one in whether you receive a reminder from the VA or not, as not all offices will send you the questionnaire or remind you that you are required to submit it. If you do not submit it, you may get your rating reduced.
If you don't see any pertinent language in the decision letter and you're really not sure if the VA considers your disability permanent, do not call them and tell them you want to know if it is permanent. For example, you might ask them if it's permanent because you need help paying for your child to go to college. But decisions to make a rating permanent are not made based on your financial need.
Instead, write a letter to your VA Regional Office and request a permanent rating. Provide medical evidence to the VA showing that your medical condition cannot be expected to improve in the future.
CHAMPVA, whichstands for Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, is the VA's health care benefit for eligible spouses and children of permanently disabled veterans.
Spouses. A husband or wife of a disabled veteran is eligible for CHAMPVA as long as the couple remains married.
Children. Children are eligible for CHAMPVA until they turn age 18, or until age 23 if they are in school full-time, as long as they remain unmarried and, for step-children, living in the veteran's home.
Adult children. Some children over age 18 or 23 remain eligible if they meet "helpless children" requirements. A "helpless child" is basically a special needs child who, before reaching the age of 18, becomes permanently incapable of supporting themselves. The determination of whether a child is "helpless" will be made by your VA Regional Office. For assistance, phone 800-827-1000.
You can read about the CHAMPVA application process on the VA website, and the CHAMPVA Guide describes the program in more detail.
The VA's Dependents' Educational Assistance program provides up to three years and nine months worth of benefits for spouses and children of permanently disabled veterans who are disabled due to service-connected disabilities.
The educational benefits can be used by spouses or children to pursue a degree or certificate or for work training programs or an apprenticeship. In addition, spouses (not children) can be reimbursed for the cost of correspondence courses.
Children and spouses of veterans who are totally and permanently disabled are eligible for Dependents' Educational Assistance. Spouses can generally use these benefits for 10 years from the date the VA deems them eligible. In some cases, spouses can use the benefits for 20 years. This happens when the veteran was rated permanently and totally disabled within three years after discharge from the service, and the 20-year-period begins running on the date the veteran received the disability rating.
Children are eligible for the benefits from the Dependents' Educational Assistance program between 18 and 26 years old. Sometimes eligibility can begin before age 18 and continue past age 26. Children remain eligible for Dependents' Educational Assistance even after they marry.
Children who are active service members in the military are not eligible to receive this benefit while on active duty. Once discharged, benefits are available as long as the discharge is not under dishonorable conditions. The period of eligibility for Educational Assistance will be extended by the amount of time spent on active duty, but this extension will usually not go beyond a child's 31st birthday.
Check with the VA before you begin your program to make sure that your educational program is approved and eligible for reimbursement. Call the VA Regional Office in the state where you will be attending your program.
Complete the Dependents' Application for VA Education Benefits and submit it to the VA Regional Office in the state where you plan to attend school or training. If you are already in school, you will also have to ask the school or job (if you are having work training) to complete and an Enrollment Certification form. Submit the Enrollment Certification along with your application.
Family members eligible for educational benefits can also receive free vocational and educational counseling through the VA. This can help you decide which training program you would like to pursue.
An additional educational program to consider is the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship.
The health care and educational benefits describe above may also be available for surviving spouses and children of deceased veterans. In addition, survivors may be eligible for cash survivor benefits from the VA.
]]>The VA may award you a pension in two circumstances:
If the VA finds that you are not disabled for disability compensation purposes, the agency may still find you disabled for pension purposes. This is because for pension purposes the VA considers all of your disabilities, whether they are service-connected or not.
Many vets are unaware they even if they are not disabled, they still may be able to receive a VA pension upon turning age 65.
In addition, VA also offers two supplemental or improved pension programs: Housebound Benefits and Aid and Attendance (A&A). A&A pays a higher monthly rate than Housebound Benefits. These two benefits are “add-ons” to the pension; you are not eligible for either add-in benefit unless you first qualify for a pension.
To be eligible for the pension, and to be considered for A&A or Housebound benefits, you must first:
Eligibility for A&A requires that a veteran:
Housebound benefits also require that you be substantially and permanently confined to your home because of your disabilities. If you aren't confined to your home, you can show that you have one disability rated at 100% and another at 60% or more to qualify for Housebound Benefits.
If you are age 65 or older, even though you are presumed disabled, to get housebound benefits you still have to show that you are confined to your home or have a disability that is rated at 60% or higher.
In addition to the pension, you can receive Housebound Benefits or A&A, but not both.
The VA has designated certain periods of military activity as “wartime.” Active duty during the following periods qualifies as wartime service.
To be eligible for the pension, Aid and Attendance, or Housebound Benefits, you must also meet certain financial requirements. Generally, you must have less than $80,000 in assets (but the VA can lower this amount for older individuals). When calculating your assets, the VA does not count the value of your personal vehicle or the home you live in.
Some veterans transfer their assets to obtain eligibility, because then you can successfully apply for these benefits, as soon as the day after such a transfer. However, such a transfer can negatively affect your Medicaid eligibility, so it is critical to consult an elder law attorney before transferring any assets. (Even if you have VA health care benefits and are eligible for VA long-term care, you still may need your Medicaid benefits in addition to VA benefits. Nolo's article on Medicaid Basics provides additional information.)
In addition to the limit on your assets, your income must also be low. Your annual income must be less than the Maximum Annual Pension Rate (this varies depending on the type of improved pension). When calculating your income, the VA will not count welfare benefits or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Likewise, the VA will deduct certain medical expenses from your total income to determine what the VA calls your “countable income.”
The types of medical expenses the VA permits you to exclude from your income are:
The VA determines your annual income and then deducts all of your unreimbursed medical expenses to determine your countable income, and then pays you the difference between your countable income and the Maximum Annual Pension Rate. It can be helpful to review the VA webpage that explains this pension benefit calculation process in detail and provides examples.
If you are eligible for Improved Pension, the VA will also give you free medication as long as it is ordered by a VA physician. You will also have access to free VA hospital and outpatient care.
To apply, download VA Form 21-526EZ, call the VA at 800-827-1000 to request a claim form, or go to your regional VA office.
If you are age 70 or older, expedited processing is available to you, so make sure to request it. At a minimum, it will take four to nine months for your application to be processed. Sometimes nursing homes or assisted living facilities will accept delayed payment if they know you qualify for A&A and cannot otherwise afford care. They are aware that your award of benefits will be retroactive
For assistance obtaining benefits, contact National Association of Senior Veterans (NASV) for pro bono help determining your eligibility for benefits. Fill out the online form http://nasv.org/about-us/rei/
If you are denied pension, Housebound Benefits, or A&A, you will need to file a Notice of Disagreement (NOD) with the VA Office that issued the denial. For help, contact a local disability lawyer who's certified by the VA.
]]>You have a direct service connection if an incident that occurred in service directly caused a disability that you now suffer from. A direct service connection requires proof that the occurred, medical evidence of your disability, and medical evidence that the current disability was caused by the incident in service.
It’s easiest to prove this if the veteran was diagnosed with the condition during service or there is medical evidence in the service medical records of related symptoms. Without such evidence, a medical opinion from a doctor will often be critical to establishing direct service connection.
It is important to be able to show that the incident in service actually occurred. If the event was not recorded in the veteran’s records, statements from buddies the veteran served with will likely be needed to confirm the occurrence.
Examples of direct service connection include a veteran who served in combat who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, shrapnel wounds that led to physical problems, or heavy lifting that caused back pain.
Aggravated service connection can be established when a veteran suffered from a medical condition before entering service, the entrance medical exam records the existence of this condition, and there is evidence that an event during service worsened the condition.
If your pre-existing condition isn’t mentioned in the entrance medical exam, you will need to submit medical evidence of a pre-service diagnosis and treatment. Also, there must be proof of an incident or event in service that made the disability worse. The fact that the symptoms worsened will be assumed to be a natural progression of an illness or injury unless a veteran can link an in-service event to this progression. This may require a medical opinion from your doctor.
Certain medical conditions are established by law as being presumptively service-connected for veterans who have served at least 90 days. You will need to submit medical evidence that the medical condition has been diagnosed and that it appeared to a certain degree of severity within what is called the “presumptive time period.” The law establishes a time period after your service ends during which the disability must arise in order to qualify for presumptive service connection. This time period varies based on medical condition.
Presumptive service connection is available for certain illnesses to POWs confined more than 30 days, certain cancers caused by chemical and hazardous exposure (such as Agent Orange), and some chronic health issues, brain injuries and infectious diseases arising from service in the Gulf War.
If you are eligible for service-connected disability compensation for an illness or injury, and that illness or injury has caused another medical condition, you may be eligible for additional compensation based on the theory of "secondary service connection." Or, if you had a pre-existing condition and the service-connected disability made it worse, you can receive additional compensation for the aggravation of that condition.
You will need to have medical evidence of the existence of the secondary condition, as well as a medical opinion supporting your claim that the secondary condition was caused or worsened by the service-connected disability.
Examples of secondary service connection include depression caused by chronic pain, a leg injury that leads to problems with your knees, or diabetes leading to a heart condition.
To establish service connection for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), veterans will need to:
This rule is not just for combat veterans but for all veterans who were in fear of hostile or terrorist activity during service. As long as the stressor was consistent with the overall circumstances of the veteran’s service, and there is not any “clear and convincing” (meaning very strong) evidence to show the stressor didn’t occur, a veteran will be able to establish a service connection.
To learn how to apply for disability benefits, see our article on applying for veterans disability compensation.
To find out more about getting veterans' disability compensation, see Nolo's series of articles on Service-Connected Disability Compensation.
]]>Military retirement is paid from the Department of Defense, while disability compensation comes from the Department of Veterans Affairs. According to federal regulations, if you can get both types of benefits, you’ll have the amount of military retirement you’re owed deducted from any disability payments you’ll get from the VA. This is called the “VA waiver” or “VA offset.”
Congress created the CRDP program in order to help veterans recover (or “restore”) some or all of the military retirement pay they waived in order to receive their disability benefits. Veterans who qualify for CRDP can receive concurrent VA disability and military retirement.
You may be entitled to CRDP pay if you’re a qualifying military retiree with a service-connected disability rated at 50% or higher.
Veterans who meet the following service requirements may establish eligibility for CRDP:
Once you’ve met the length of service requirements, you’ll then need to show that you have a service-connected disability.
A service-connected disability is a health condition that started, worsened, or resulted from another condition that was caused by your time on active duty. The VA assigns each disability a percentage rating based on how severe the condition is. You can qualify for the CRDP program if you have a VA disability rating of 50% or more.
Because CRDP is a restoration of your reduced retirement pay, the program will pay you up to the amount of your waived military retirement pay or your total retirement pay—whichever is less.
If you were medically retired and your retirement pay is based on your percentage of service-connected disability, your CRDP benefit can’t restore your pay to more than your total retirement pay would have been if it was calculated based on your years of service.
You can find a table of CRDP payments at the Department of Defense webpage about concurrent retirement and disability benefits. Several military compensation calculators are available to help you estimate the amount of pay you’ll receive. (Keep in mind that just like military retirement, CRDP pay isn’t protected from claims for child support, alimony, garnishment, IRS actions, or other creditors.)
Because the CRDP program has been phased in over a ten-year period with payments increasing each year, some disabled veterans might be eligible for a retroactive CRDP benefit. Your retroactive payment date can be your date of retirement or when your disability became rated at 50% or higher, but it can’t be any earlier than January 1, 2004.
If the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) finds that they owe you retroactive retirement payments, the agency will issue you a lump-sum check. If DFAS believes the VA owes you retroactive disability compensation benefits, the agency will notify the VA and the VA will be responsible for issuing the check.
You don’t need to do anything special in order to get CRDP benefits. DFAS will automatically add CRDP benefits to your check if you are eligible. If you aren’t receiving these benefits and believe you are entitled to them, contact DFAS at 888-332-7411 or your branch of the military service.
As the military branch that falls under the Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard doesn’t use DFAS because it’s not part of the Department of Defense. If you served in the Coast Guard and want to ask about your eligibility for CRDP, call 866-772-8724.
If you’re eligible for CRDP as well as another, related program called combat-related special compensation, you can only receive benefits under one of the programs. For more information about veterans disability benefits more generally, including current SMC-S pay rates, see our articles about benefits for disabled veterans.
Updated June 12, 2023