CRSC/CRDP Calculator — Compare Your Options

CRDP (Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay) allows retirees with 20+ years of service and a 50%+ VA rating to receive their full retirement pay and full VA disability compensation with no offset. The restored retirement pay is taxable.

CRSC (Combat-Related Special Compensation) restores some or all of the VA disability offset for retirees whose disabilities are combat-related. CRSC is tax-free. It is available even to retirees with less than 50% VA disability or who medically retired with fewer than 20 years of service.

You cannot receive both — you receive whichever option provides the higher benefit.

No. Federal law prohibits receiving both CRDP and CRSC simultaneously. If you qualify for both, DFAS will typically pay whichever provides more money. You can also elect one over the other by contacting DFAS. Use this calculator to compare both options.

CRSC eligibility requires:

• Military retiree (including medical retirees with fewer than 20 years)
• VA-rated disability that is combat-related (caused by combat, hazardous duty, instrumentality of war, or armed conflict)
• Approved combat-related determination from your branch of service

You must apply through your branch — CRSC is not automatic. Contact your service branch’s CRSC board for applications.

PTSD tied to combat operations is one of the most commonly approved CRSC conditions. It falls under the armed-conflict category when your records document combat exposure — deployment records, a combat action award (CAB, CAR, CMB), decorations, or unit histories.

Ordinary training injuries are the most common denials. A knee hurt during routine PT or a back strained moving equipment is service-connected for VA purposes, but it is not automatically combat-related. Branch boards generally deny these claims unless your documentation ties the injury to a qualifying category, for example:

• A parachute jump or flight/demolition/diving duty (hazardous service)
• A field exercise or live-fire training that simulates combat conditions (simulated war)
• Injury caused by a weapon, combat vehicle, or other equipment designed primarily for military use (instrumentality of war)

The wording in your medical and personnel records matters more than the diagnosis. Before applying, gather line-of-duty determinations, incident reports, and orders showing the qualifying duty.

Submit DD Form 2860 (Claim for Combat-Related Special Compensation) to your branch of service’s CRSC board — not to DFAS or the VA. Include:

• Retirement orders and DD-214
• VA rating decisions for each claimed condition
• Evidence tying each condition to a combat-related category: decorations and citations, deployment and incident records, line-of-duty determinations, and medical records describing how the injury happened

If approved, DFAS pays CRSC monthly. Denied conditions can be resubmitted for reconsideration with new evidence.

Yes. CRSC payments are completely tax-free at both the federal and state level, just like VA disability compensation. This is a key advantage over CRDP, which restores taxable retirement pay. For some retirees, CRSC results in higher after-tax income even when the pre-tax CRDP amount is slightly higher.

CRSC is the lesser of two amounts:

1. The VA disability compensation for your combat-related disability percentage (per the VA compensation tables, including your dependent status at 30%+)
2. The amount of retired pay waived due to the VA disability offset (i.e., the dollar-for-dollar reduction to your retirement pay)

In effect, CRSC cannot exceed the retired pay you gave up. If your combat-related rating equals your total VA rating and your retirement pay is higher than your VA compensation, CRSC fully restores the offset.

Chapter 61 medical retirees are eligible for CRSC if their disabilities are combat-related, even with fewer than 20 years of service. Key points:

• CRDP requires 20+ years of service — Chapter 61 retirees with fewer years do not qualify
• CRSC has no minimum years-of-service requirement — any retiree with combat-related disability can apply
• Medical retirement pay is calculated differently (higher of DOD or VA formula)
• CRSC can restore some or all of the VA offset for Chapter 61 retirees

If you medically retired with a combat-related disability, apply for CRSC through your service branch to restore your VA disability offset.

TERA (Temporary Early Retirement Authority) allows retirement with 15-19 years of service. TERA retirees:

• DO qualify for CRDP with a VA rating of 50% or higher — DFAS treats TERA retirements as an exception to the usual 20-year requirement
• DO qualify for CRSC if disabilities are combat-related
• Receive reduced retirement pay (multiplier penalty for early retirement)

If you retired under TERA with combat-related disabilities, compare both: CRSC (tax-free, combat-related conditions only) versus CRDP (taxable, requires a 50%+ VA rating). If your rating is below 50%, CRSC is your only concurrent-receipt path. Apply for CRSC through your service branch’s CRSC board.