As valiant and noble as it is to serve your country against external threats, it is also true that as a serviceman, the possibility of being injured or disabled is not completely zero. This is why the Department of Veteran Affairs has mandated both disability and pension payments for their personnel under specific conditions. So, if you’re wondering whether you can apply for concurrent disability and military pension payments, you’d be pleased to know that the answer is, absolutely.
Understanding the Eligibility Criteria of Combining Your Military Pension and Disability CompensationÂ
This is known as CRDP or Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay. However, to be eligible for it, you will need to meet specific conditions.
For instance, for a retired veteran to successfully apply for CRDP, they need to have a disability rating of 50% (it can also be higher). If proven so, you will receive a military pension without worrying about any offsets, and, at the same time, you will also be paid your disability payment.
But if a veteran does not have a disability rating of 50% and they apply for CRDP, their pension will likely be adjusted in line with their disability compensation.
Understanding CRSC (Combat Related Special Compensation)
To further aid disabled servicemen and veterans, the US government also introduced a program that was specifically implemented for veterans to receive as much retirement as they can. The program is called Combat Related Special Compensation. CRSC is not taxable, however, there are conditions that you will need to fulfill to be eligible for CRSC, such as:
- You are eligible to receive a military retirement pension.
- You have a Veterans Affairs disability rating of, at minimum, 10%.
- Your military retirement pay is being offset by your disability pay.