CRSC is a program that provides compensation for eligible retired veterans with “combat-related” injuries. The injuries must warrant between a 10% and 100% disability rating. It is intended to help mitigate the loss of income resulting from a veteran’s inability to receive disability compensation from both the DOD and the VA. 

Unlike Concurrent Retirement an Disability Pay (CRDP), CRSC is available to both service members who retire with 20 or more years of creditable service and those who have less than 20 years. 

CRSC helps retired veterans by replacing the VA disability compensation that is subtracted from retired pay. It also restores military retired pay with tax-free monthly payments and is paid retroactively.

To be eligible a veteran must:

  1. Be receiving military retired pay (longevity or medical)
  2. Have reduced military retired pay because of VA disability payments (VA waiver)
  3. Have a 10% or greater VA-rated disability

And must have at least ONE of the following “combat-related” VA disabilities:

  1. Simulating War (SW), injuries that result from military combat training
  2. Hazardous Service, injuries or diseases that occur while engaging in hazardous service
  3. Instrumentality of War (IW), injury occurred while operating or interacting with a vehicle, weapon, or device designed primarily for military service and intended for use in such service at the time of injury (ex. injured knee on rotating tank turret during field training exercise)
  4. Armed Conflict (AC), service member engaged with hostile forces
  5. Purple Heart, the result of an injury in which Purple Heart was awarded

The VA also recently expanded coverage to those suffering from the following medical conditions associated with Agent Orange:

  1. Ischemic Heart Disease
  2. Parkinson's Disease
  3. Hairy Cell Leukemia
  4. Other Chronic B-cell Leukemia

If you have received a VA rating that includes one of these conditions, you should consider applying or reapplying for CRSC.

You can find instructions on how to apply for CRSC here.

 Also submit:

  • Copies of ALL VA rating decisions, which include the letter and the narrative summaries
  • Copies of ALL DD214s and DD215s
  • Official documentary evidence that supports how the specific disability being claimed can be linked to a combat-related event

Do NOT submit:

  • Medical records that do no related to disability being claimed
  • Electronic media, EKGs, lab slips, or dental records
  • Personal or “buddy” statements