CONCURRENT RECEIPT &

Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC)

The whole issue of non-concurrent receipt of Military Medical Retirement Pay and Department of Veterans’ Affairs Disability Compensation is rooted in Title 38 of the United States Code—“Prohibition against duplication of benefits”

Title 38, Part IV, Chapter 53, Section 5304 outlines the role of Veterans' Benefits

The specific portion of this is found in:  Title 38 Veterans’ Benefits; Part IV General Administrative Provision; Chapter 53 Special Provision Relating to Benefits; Section 5304 Prohibition against duplication of benefits which says:

“(a) (1) Except as provided in section 1414 of title 10 or to the extent that retirement pay is waived under other provisions of law, not more than one award of pension, compensation, emergency officers’, regular, or reserve retirement pay, or initial award of naval pension granted after July 13, 1943, shall be made concurrently to any person based on such person’s own service or concurrently to any person based on the service of any other person.

(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1) of this subsection and of section 5305 of this title, pension under section 1521 or 1541 of this title may be paid to a person entitled top receive retired or retirement pay described in section 5305 of this title concurrently with such person’s receipt of such retired or retirement pay if the annual amount of such retired or retirement pay is counted as annual income for the purposed of chapter 15 of this title.”

However, with our Warriors in Transition Wounded Warriors (WT WWs) there is an exception to Title 38 provisions against duplication of benefits ”concurrent receipt.”  It is the Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) Program.