When former military members receiving veterans service related disability help benefits reach retirement age, some of them may be subject to a reduction in their retirement benefit depending on their amount of disability pay and other factors.
Fortunately, a number of exclusions to this rule exist to help veterans receive more of their entitled retirement benefits.
One such benefit that allows qualifying veterans to retain some or all of their retirement pay is combat-related special compensation, which is available to both active duty military members and reservists.
What is Combat-Related Special Compensation?
Combat-related special compensation or CRSC is available to veterans who meet all of the following criteria:
- They are a veteran that has 20+ years of military service, is medically retired, or are a reservist that is age 60+ or has retired through the Temporary Early Retirement Authorization (TERA).
- They are entitled to veterans service related disability help benefits that include military retirement pay.
- They have a combat-related service-connected disability rating of 10% or higher.
- They have waived their VA disability pay amount or the “disability offset” from their retirement pay.
What Benefits Are Available With CRSC?
For military veterans who meet these qualifications, CRSC can replace some or all of the disability pay benefit that is normally waived from the retirement benefit once a disabled veteran begins receiving retirement pay.
This benefit is available to veterans who have sustained a combat-related disability, whether in actual combat, in training for combat, in armed conflict, in an instrumentality of war, or while performing some other hazardous duty.
Disabilities due to exposure to Agent Orange and other toxin hazards also qualify for CRSC.
How Is The Benefit Amount Determined?
Like other special compensation programs available to retired service members receiving veterans service related disability help benefits, the amount of CRSC benefits awarded will depend on a number of variables including disability rating, number of dependents, and more.
Retroactive payment is also available in cases where veterans apply for CRSC after they have already started to receive VA disability benefits, usually back to the date when they became eligible for this special compensation but not longer than 6 years.
Get Help With CRSC Soon!
Holding onto veterans service related disability help benefits when also receiving retirement benefits is important for disabled veterans who depend on those benefits.
Those who have sustained a combat-related disability may qualify to have some of their disability offset recovered by applying for combat-related special compensation.
Veterans can contact a veterans service related disability claim assistance specialist to learn more about CRSC and other special benefits they may qualify for to retain more of their eligible disability and retirement benefits.