Concurrent Military Retirement Pay and Department of Veterans Affairs Disability Compensation, referred to as Concurrent Receipt (CR), allows military retirees to receive both military retired pay and Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation. This was prohibited until the enactment of public law 107-107 on 28 December 2001. The phase-in of full CR, which gradually restored a retiree’s VA disability offset, was complete effective January 2014. If qualified, you do not need to apply for CR, you will be enrolled automatically.

Service members must be eligible for retired pay to qualify for CR.

You may be entitled to CR if:

• You are a regular retiree with a VA disability rating of 50% or greater
• You are a reserve component retiree who has a VA disability rating of 50% of greater and who is in receipt of retired pay
• You are retired under a Temporary Early Retirement Authority (TERA) and have a VA disability rating of 50% or greater
• You are a Title 10 Chapter 61 disability retiree who has 20 or more years of service, and you have a VA disability rating of 50% or greater. You might become eligible for CR at the time you would have become eligible for retired pay

Upon becoming eligible for CR, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) will audit your account to determine whether or not you are due retroactive payment. An audit of your account requires researching pay information from both DFAS and VA.

If DFAS finds that you are also due a retroactive payment from the VA, they will forward an audit to the VA. They are responsible for paying any money they may owe you.

Your retroactive payment date may go as far back as January 1, 2004, but can be limited based on:

• Your retirement date or
• When you first increased to at least a 50% disability rating

Under the Barring Act, retroactive payments cannot be made more than six years back.

CR is a restoration of retired pay. Retired pay is subject to collection actions such as alimony, child support, community property, and government debt, and is taxable. Retired pay ceases upon the death of the retiree.

For more information, please visit the Concurrent Military Retirement Pay and VA Disability Compensation webpage maintained by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS):
https://www.dfas.mil/RetiredMilitary/disability/crdp/

DoD FMR Volume 7B: “Chapter 4, Recoupment of Separation Pay”:
https://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/documents/fmr/current/07b/07b_04.pdf

DoD FMR Volume 7B: “Chapter 64, Concurrent Military Retirement Pay and Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) Disability Compensation”:
https://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/documents/fmr/current/07b/07b_64.pdf