Contemporary CRSC Information--Also See Update at Bottom of this Resource Page New Version (1), Contemporary CRSC Information

Revised Contemporary CRSC Information, 30 July 2022

CONTEMPORARY COMBAT RELATED SPECIAL COMPENSATION (CRSC) INFORMATION

Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC)

Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC) is a program that was created for disability and non-disability military retirees with combat-related disabilities. It is a tax-free entitlement that replaces some or all of waived retired pay associated with the receipt of VA compensation for combat-related disabilities. VA compensation is paid in full. With CRSC you can receive an amount equal to or less than your length of service retirement pay and your VA disability compensation, if the injury is combat-related.

Eligibility
To qualify for CRSC you must:

--be entitled to and/or receiving military retired pay

--be rated at least 10 percent by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA)

--waive the amount of VA compensation from your retired pay (i.e., your retired pay is reduced by amount of VA compensation)

--file a CRSC application with your Branch of Service



Disabilities that may be considered combat related include injuries incurred as a direct result of:

--Armed Conflict

--Hazardous Duty

--An Instrumentality of War

--Simulated War



Disability retirees with less than 20 years of service will be automatically limited to a retroactive date of January 1, 2008 as required by legislation passed by Congress effective 2008.

All retroactive pay is limited to six years from the date the VA awarded compensation for each disability.

Chapter 61 Disability Retirees:
Each CH 61 case involves these ceilings and other factors:

—Must be entitled to retired pay
—Agrees to waive retired pay in the amount of VA compensation received.
—CRSC cannot exceed the amount of the waived retired pay.
—CRSC cannot exceed the amount of the approved CRSC percentage (amt in VA Comp tables).
—CRSC cannot exceed the dollar amount of the longevity portion of retired pay.
—CRSC when combined with residual retired pay cannot exceed the longevity amount.

As one can see, more than one of the ceilings shown above could apply to the retiree. In those cases, the lesser amount is the CRSC amount.



Combat-Related vs. Service-Connected (noncombat-related)
Some examples of CRSC combat-related situations (and corresponding required proof) vs. noncombat-related situations are as follows:

Simulating War




Example from Army: Required application documentation includes:



A signed claim form (DD 2860)

Documents to Support your CRSC Claim:

Including relevant supporting documentation with your CRSC claim assists CRSC in determining CRSC eligibility. Time and again, claims come in lacking supporting documentation linking the injury to a combat-related situation. Click for combat-related definitions.

When completing the DD Form 2860 (CRSC Claim Form), please include the following documents to verify your injuries as combat-related.

Essential Documents:

1. All available DD 214s/ DD 215s. You may obtain copies online from the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC). Be sure to retain a copy for your records.
2. All complete Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Rating Decisions/ VA Physician Reports/ VA Medical Records specifically showing the causation of the disability (including the VA letter, the actual VA rating decisions and the VA code sheets)

IMPORTANT- If you have copies of your VA records please send copies to the U.S. Army CRSC Division.
Highly Recommended Documents:

1. Medical Records - Must be from the time the injury occurred and must clearly show a combat related event
2. Award Certificates and/or narratives
3. Military Medical Treatment Facility Records - Must be from the time of injury occurred and must clearly show a combat related event
4. Military Orders
5. DA 638 Award Recommendation
6. DA 4187

Suggested Documents:

1. Military Quadrennial Physical Examinations
2. Military Retirement Physicals
3. Physical Evaluation Board Proceedings
4. Clinical Records or Notes
5. Western Union Casualty Notification Telegrams
6. Officers Record Brief
7. Enlisted Records Brief

Note: DO NOT send original records, please send copies. If all you have is a copy, please be sure to retain a copy for your own records.

When submitting Physical Evaluation Board Proceedings (PEB), DA Form 199, etc. as supporting documentation, please recognize that Physical Disability Agency (PDA) determinations are in reference to laws other than CRSC. An example is combat related under 26 USC 104, which is similar to CRSC, but because they are different laws there may be variance between PDA determinations of combat related and that of CRSC's determination.




Army Information, Early Notice (Contributed by Retired Col Mike T)

For those of you waiting on your CRSC Approval letter, you can view it online before the letter comes in the mail. Also, you can see your military records if you didn’t ALREADY know about this NCOER’s, OER’s etc....

1. iPERMS Homepage
2. DS Logon (enter your DS Logon information)
3. "Continue"
4. "I Accept"
5. "Documents"
6. You'll see the most recent documents loaded at the time.

Note: Often the approval document will appear online before the decision is received via USPS.


Service CRSC Web Pages:


Army: HRC Homepage

Air Force: Combat-Related Special Compensation For Service Members | An Official Air Force Benefits Website (af.mil)

Navy/USMC: Council of Review Boards (CORB) (navy.mil)

Coast Guard: Pay and Personnel Center (PPC), Retiree and Annuitant Services (uscg.mil)



DFAS CRSC Information:
Defense Finance and Accounting Service > RetiredMilitary > disability > crsc (dfas.mil)

DoD 7000.14-R Financial Management Regulation Volume 7B, Chapter 63 * May 2022

VOLUME 7B, CHAPTER 63: “COMBAT-RELATED SPECIAL COMPENSATION (CRSC)”

https://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/documents/fmr/current/07b/07b_63.pdf