Concurrent Receipt
CRDP & CRSC Concurrent Receipt Calculator
If VA disability is being withheld from your military retired pay, CRDP or CRSC may put that money back. See how much of the VA waiver you could recover — and which program pays you more.
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What concurrent receipt is — and who it affects
You earned your retirement and your disability compensation. Concurrent receipt is about being paid what you were promised.
What is it?
When you retire from the military and the VA rates you for a service-connected disability, the law says you generally cannot be paid twice for the same years of service. So DFAS withholds a dollar of your military retired pay for every dollar of tax-free VA disability comp you receive — that reduction is the VA waiver (or offset). Concurrent receipt — CRDP and CRSC — is how Congress gives that waived money back to retirees who qualify.
Are you affected? A 30-second check
Run down this list. If even one line sounds like you, concurrent receipt almost certainly applies — and you should not leave the money sitting there.
- Your DFAS retired pay is smaller than it should be because VA compensation is being subtracted from it. That subtraction is the waiver — the money concurrent receipt exists to give back.
- You have a 20-year (or Reserve/Guard) retirement and a VA rating of 50% or higher. CRDP should already be restoring your full waiver automatically — confirm DFAS is actually paying it, because errors are common.
- You were medically retired under 20 years (Chapter 61). CRDP is not available to you — CRSC is your only path, and nothing happens until you apply.
- Any of your rated conditions trace back to combat, hazardous duty, war-like training, or an instrument of war (including Agent Orange or burn pits). You likely qualify for tax-free CRSC at any rating 10% or higher — the next section shows you how to tell.
Overlooked money
The money veterans leave on the table
This is one of the largest pools of money veterans quietly forfeit — and almost nobody explains it in plain terms. Here is why so much of it gets left behind. CRDP is automatic, so most 20-year retirees never think about it — which also means they never check whether DFAS is paying the right amount. CRSC is the opposite: it is never automatic. You have to apply to your branch, prove which of your disabilities are combat-related, and most veterans either do not know it exists or assume they will not qualify. On top of that, DFAS quietly defaults you to whichever program is larger by gross dollars — ignoring that CRSC is completely tax-free — so thousands of retirees sit on the taxable program for years and never run the after-tax math.
Miss the application, under-claim your combat-related conditions, or simply accept the DFAS default, and you can lose hundreds to a couple thousand tax-free dollars every single month. Stretch that across 20 or 30 years of retirement and it becomes a six-figure mistake — not because you were ineligible, but because no one ever walked you through it.
Whether tax-free CRSC is even on the table comes down to one question: which of your disabilities are combat-related. That is worth getting straight before you run the numbers — so let’s start there.
The question that unlocks CRSC
What counts as “combat-related”?
CRSC only restores the slice of your disability that is combat-related, so this one question decides whether the tax-free program is even available to you. The good news: it is broader than most veterans assume. You do not need a Purple Heart or a firefight. Federal law (10 U.S.C. § 1413a) recognizes four different ways a disability can qualify.
Armed conflict
A disability that came directly from fighting the enemy — the most straightforward path.
For example: Gunshot and shrapnel wounds, IED and blast injuries, wounds taken during an enemy attack or while engaging the enemy.
Hazardous service
Duty the military itself classifies as inherently dangerous, even when you are not in combat.
For example: Aerial flight, parachute and airborne jumps, scuba and hard-hat diving, demolition and explosive-ordnance-disposal work.
A condition simulating war
Training and exercises built to recreate the demands and dangers of combat.
For example: Live-fire ranges, war games and field maneuvers, hand-to-hand and combatives training, airborne and air-assault schools.
An instrumentality of war
Injury or illness caused by a device, vehicle, or agent designed for war — even years later.
For example: Agent Orange and other tactical herbicides, burn-pit and airborne-hazard exposure, combat vehicles and weapons systems, ionizing radiation.
Purple Heart conditions qualify automatically
If a condition is tied to the wound that earned your Purple Heart, your branch treats it as combat-related without the usual back-and-forth. Make sure a copy of your citation is in the CRSC packet — it is the single strongest piece of evidence you can include.
How to tell which of your disabilities count
You do not have to guess. Work through your own rating decision line by line:
- Pull your VA rating decision and list every service-connected condition and its percentage.
- For each one, ask how and where it started, then match it to one of the four buckets above. It does not have to have happened downrange — live-fire training and exposure to an instrument of war both count.
- Back it up with evidence: DD214, deployment orders, Purple Heart citation, service treatment records, incident and after-action reports, and buddy statements.
- When a condition clearly fits, claim it. When it is a maybe, claim it anyway with your best evidence — your branch makes the call, and a “maybe” you never file is an automatic zero.
Not sure how to tie a condition to one of these buckets? That is exactly the kind of thing our accredited agents map out for you before you file.
Nothing is pre-filled — enter your own numbers below and the CRDP vs CRSC comparison builds itself as you type. Tap any gold i icon if you are not sure what a field means.
1. Your retirement & rating
Your gross DFAS retired pay before the VA waiver is applied.
CRDP requires a 20-year retirement. Chapter 61 retirees under 20 years are not CRDP-eligible.
2. Dependents
3. Combat-related disabilities
CRSC covers disabilities from combat, training for combat, hazardous duty, or an instrumentality of war (like Agent Orange or burn pits). Check the box above if any of yours qualify.
4. Your tax bracket
CRDP is taxable; CRSC is tax-free. Your bracket is what decides which one actually nets you more.
What you could recover
Your money today
Enter your gross retired pay and a VA rating of 10% or higher, and this box will show the exact waiver amount concurrent receipt can put back in your pocket.
CRDP
Concurrent Retirement & Disability Pay
Needs a 20-year retirement and a 50%+ combined rating. Chapter 61 medical retirees under 20 years usually do not qualify.
CRSC
Combat-Related Special Compensation
Needs combat-related disabilities (rated 10%+) approved by your branch. Check the combat box and enter a percentage.
Fill in your gross retired pay and VA rating and this box will compare CRDP and CRSC side by side and tell you which one leaves more money in your pocket.
Free & no obligation — concurrent receipt is full of exceptions. Our accredited agents make sure you are on the program that pays you the most.
The VA waiver, in one picture
Most retirees never realize how much of their own retired pay is being quietly withheld — until they run the numbers.
By law, you normally cannot be paid twice for the same time in service. So for every dollar of tax-free VA disability comp you receive, DFAS withholds a dollar of your military retired pay. That withheld amount is the VA waiver (or offset).
Most retirees still come out ahead — the VA portion is tax-free — but the waiver still stings. Concurrent receipt (CRDP and CRSC) is Congress’s way of giving that waived money back to retirees who qualify.
The waiver is the whole ballgame. Whatever DFAS is withholding from your retired pay each month is the ceiling on what CRDP or CRSC can restore.
CRDP or CRSC — which pays you more?
You can only be on one program at a time. DFAS automatically pays whichever is larger by grossdollars — but that is not always the one that puts more money in your pocket, because CRDP is taxable and CRSC is tax-free.
Restores the full waiver. Needs 20+ years and a 50%+ combined rating. Automatic through DFAS — no application. It is taxable, exactly like your regular retired pay, and it is treated as retired pay in a divorce (divisible under USFSPA).
- Covers every service-connected condition, not just combat ones
- No paperwork — phases in automatically
- Fully taxable — the IRS takes a cut
Restores only the combat-related portion, but at any rating 10%+. You must apply on DD Form 2860 and your branch decides what counts. It is completely tax-free, and it is not divisible in a divorce.
- Tax-free — the whole check is yours
- Works even under 20 years and under a 50% rating
- Only the combat-related slice — and you have to prove it
Your take-home, side by side
Enter your retired pay, rating, years of service, your combat-related percentage, and your federal tax bracket above, and this box will show your estimated after-tax take-home under each program side by side.
The one month a year you can switch
If you qualify for both, you are not locked in forever. Every January open season you can switch from CRDP to CRSC or back, and the change must be postmarked by January 31. DFAS defaults you to whichever program pays the higher gross amount — which, as the numbers above show, is not always the one that nets you more after taxes.
Life changes — a rating increase, a new combat-related approval, a move to a no-income-tax state, or a divorce — can flip which program wins. It is worth re-running both every January instead of letting the auto-default ride.
Let us run both programs before you decide
Our accredited claims agents run the full CRDP and CRSC comparison, build the combat-related evidence your branch actually wants, check for a Chapter 61 cap, and see whether you are owed retroactive back pay — so you land on the program that pays you the most. The first review is free.
CRDP vs CRSC
The two programs, side by side
Similar names, very different rules. You cannot draw both at once — DFAS pays whichever is larger, and you can switch once a year during the January open season. Here is how they stack up at a glance.
| CRDPConcurrent Retirement & Disability Pay | CRSCCombat-Related Special Compensation | |
|---|---|---|
| What it restores | The full VA waiver | Only the combat-related slice |
| Minimum VA rating | 50% or higher | Any rating 10% or higher |
| Years of service needed | 20-year length-of-service retirement | No minimum, Chapter 61 included |
| Federal income tax | Taxable | 100% tax-free |
| How you receive it | Automatic through DFAS | You apply to your branch (DD Form 2860) |
| Chapter 61 (medical) retirees | Not eligible under 20 years | Eligible |
| Divisible in divorce (USFSPA) | Yes, treated as retired pay | No, it is protected |
The gross-dollar winner is not always the take-home winner. Because CRSC is tax-free, a smaller CRSC check can beat a larger CRDP check once taxes come out — run both in the calculator above before you decide.
How to take action
Two agencies. Neither one will connect the dots for you.
Here is the trap that drives retirees crazy: the VA and DFAS are separate organizations that do not share the work. The VA rates your disability; DFAS pays your retired pay; and your branch of service — not either of them — decides your CRSC. Call one about the other and they will send you right back across the street. Here is who actually handles what, and exactly how to reach them.
The VA
Your rating & disability comp
Owns your combined rating, effective dates, TDIU and SMC. If your rating is too low or dated wrong, this is who fixes it — and that flows straight into your concurrent-receipt math.
DFAS
Retired pay, the waiver & CRDP
Pays your retired pay, applies the VA waiver, phases in CRDP automatically, and cuts your CRSC check after your branch approves it. Ask them what is being waived and whether CRDP is running.
Your branch of service
The CRSC combat-related decision
Only your service can approve CRSC. You file DD Form 2860 with them — not the VA, not DFAS. They decide which conditions are combat-related and set your CRSC percentage.
Where to send your CRSC application (by branch)
File on DD Form 2860 with copies (never originals) of your DD214, VA decision letters, and service medical records. The official instructions live on VA.gov — linked in the resources below.
Your step-by-step game plan
Confirm the offset
Pull your Retiree Account Statement on myPay and see exactly how much retired pay is being waived. That waived amount is the ceiling on everything concurrent receipt can restore.
Check your VA rating first
Call the VA at 800-827-1000 if your combined rating or effective date looks wrong. A higher rating or an earlier effective date can change your entire concurrent-receipt picture — and the VA, not DFAS, controls it.
Verify CRDP with DFAS
If you have 20 years and a 50%+ rating, CRDP is automatic. Call DFAS at 800-321-1080 (press 2, 1, 7) to confirm it is actually being paid. If it is not, ask them why in writing.
File CRSC with your branch — not the VA
CRSC applications go to your service on DD Form 2860, with your DD214, VA decision letters, and medical evidence. The VA and DFAS cannot approve it — only your branch decides what counts as combat-related.
Compare after-tax every January
If you qualify for both, you can switch once a year during the January open season (postmarked by January 31). DFAS defaults you to the larger gross amount, which is not always the larger take-home.
Never treat a denial as final
A branch decision that a condition is not combat-related can be reconsidered with the right evidence. Many retirees accept the first no and quietly walk away from money they earned.
Do not do the runaround alone
This is exactly where veterans get worn down and give up — bounced between the VA, DFAS, and a service board that each say “that is not us.” Our accredited claims agents quarterback the whole thing: we confirm your waiver, push the VA on the rating when it is wrong, build the combat-related evidence your branch demands on DD Form 2860, run the CRDP-vs-CRSC after-tax comparison, and check whether you are owed retroactive back pay. You earned this money — we make the agencies pay it.
See all VA & crisis phone numbersAbout this benefit
Military retirees who also receive VA disability compensation normally have to waive a dollar of retired pay for every dollar of VA comp — the VA waiver, or offset. Two programs restore that waived money for veterans who qualify.
CRDP (Concurrent Retirement & Disability Pay) restores the full waiver for 20-year retirees rated 50%+ and is taxable. CRSC (Combat-Related Special Compensation) restores the combat-related portion at any rating 10%+ and is tax-free. You cannot receive both — you take the larger benefit and may switch once a year.
How to use it
- 1Enter your gross monthly military retired pay and your VA combined rating.
- 2Add your years of service and whether you were medically retired under Chapter 61.
- 3If any disabilities are combat-related, check the box and enter the combat-related percentage for the CRSC estimate.
- 4Compare the CRDP and CRSC results, then get a free review to confirm which program pays you the most.
What it covers
- How the VA waiver reduces your retired pay dollar-for-dollar
- CRDP eligibility (20 years + 50%+ rating) and that it is taxable
- CRSC eligibility (combat-related, 10%+) and that it is tax-free
- A side-by-side estimate of which program restores more each month
Work with our accredited claims agents
Ready to turn this estimate into a claim? Let a specialist handle it.
Calculators are a starting point. Our VA-accredited claims agents can review your situation, make sure you’re not leaving benefits on the table, and file or appeal your claim for you — your first case evaluation is free, with no obligation.
This tool estimates concurrent-receipt amounts using published VA rate tables and simplified CRDP/CRSC rules. Real awards depend on your exact retired-pay computation, your branch’s combat-related determination, and DFAS math — so treat this as an estimate, not a payment figure. Our accredited claims agents can run the full comparison for you at no cost. VA Benefits Calculators is not affiliated with the VA — the VA makes all final decisions about eligibility and payment amounts. Always confirm details at va.gov.