Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC)

Eligibility for Combat-Related Special Compensation

You may be eligible for CRSC if you meet the requirements listed here.

All of these must be true:

• You’re retired (and entitled to or receiving military retirement pay), and
• You have a VA disability rating of at least 10%, and
• You currently have your DoD retirement payments reduced by the amount of your VA disability payments

Details about your retirement eligibility requirement

One of these must be true:

• You had 20 or more years of service in the military, National Guard, or Reserve, or
• You retired for medical reasons with a disability rating of at least 30% (under Chapter 61), or
• You’re covered under the Temporary Early Retirement Act (TERA), or
• You’re on the Temporary Disability Retired List (TDRL), or
• You’re on the Permanent Disability Retired List (PDRL)

Evidence and other documents you’ll need to provide 

Evidence like this that proves your disability or injuries are the result of a combat-related event:

• Service medical records. These must be from when your injury happened. They must show the severity of your medical condition and that it’s combat-related.
  Note: Provide only relevant medical records. Please don’t send us all your medical records.
• Official service records. These include After Action Reports, Investigative Reports, personnel action requests (like DA 4187), and performance evaluations (like NCOERs and OERs).
• Decorations and award recommendations. These include Purple Heart citations, Combat Action Badges, medals, and decorations for valor.

Other documents:

• Retirement records. These include retirement orders and the Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer.
• Your VA decision notice
• Your DD214

What the evidence must show about your combat-related disability

The evidence must show that your injury happened while you were:

• Engaged in armed conflict (in combat or during an occupation or raid), or 
• Engaged in hazardous duty (like demolition, flying, or parachuting), or
• Participating in war simulation activities (like live fire weapons practice or hand-to-hand combat training), or
• Exposed to instruments of war (like a military vehicle, weapon, or chemical agent), or
• Engaged in an activity you received a Purple Heart for

How to request the documents you need

Decision notice: Send us a request in the form of a letter or note. Be sure to ask for “my VA rating decision letter,” and sign your name. Send your request to your nearest VA regional office.

Find your nearest VA regional office

Military service records: Request your military service records (including your DD214) online, by mail, or in person.

Learn about how to request your military service records

How to apply for CRSC

Send your completed application, along with any supporting documents, to your uniformed service. Don’t send original supporting documents since your uniformed service won’t return them. Send copies only. And we recommend that you make a copy of your completed application for your own records. 

Fill out a Claim for Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) (DD Form 2860). You’ll need to download this PDF to your device instead of trying to open it in your browser:

Download DD Form 2860 (PDF)

Once you download the PDF, open it using Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader. 
Get Acrobat Reader for free from Adobe

When to apply to get the full amount of your back payments

There’s a 6-year statute of limitations for CRSC. To be sure you get the full amount of your back payments, you must file your CRSC claim within 6 years of any VA rating decision or the date you become entitled to retired pay, whichever comes first. If you file your claim after this 6-year limit, you can only get up to 6 years’ worth of any payments due to you.

Uniformed service addresses

Find the correct mailing address or email address listed here (these are also on Form 2860):

Questions you may have about CRSC

Can I get back payments for CRSC?

If you were eligible for CRSC payments in the past, you may be able to get back payments. If you get a new CRSC award letter or there’s a change to your VA disability compensation award, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS)—or other payment office for your uniformed service—will audit your account and determine if you should get back payments. If you’re due back payments, you’ll receive them from either DFAS or VA.

Can I ask my uniformed service to reconsider my request for CRSC?

Yes. You can ask for a reconsideration of the decision from your uniformed service if:

• Your CRSC application gets denied, or
• You receive a new disability rating for a condition or injury that’s combat-related, or
• Your disability rating that’s connected to your existing CRSC changes

How to request a reconsideration

Click on your branch of service to find out how to submit your request.