An overview of CRDP:
Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) allows military retirees to receive both military retired pay and Veterans Affairs (VA) compensation. This was prohibited until the CRDP program began on January 1, 2004.
You must be eligible for retired pay to qualify for CRDP. If you were placed on a disability retirement, but would be eligible for military retired pay in the absence of the disability [see note 1], you may be entitled to receive CRDP.
Under these rules, you may be entitled to CRDP if…
- you are a regular retiree with a VA disability rating of 50 percent or greater.
- you are a reserve retiree with 20 qualifying years of service, who has a VA disability rating of 50 percent or greater and who has reached retirement age. (In most cases the retirement age for reservists is 60, but certain reserve retirees may be eligible before they turn 60. If you are a member of the Ready Reserve, your retirement age can be reduced below age 60 by three months for each 90 days of active service you have performed during a fiscal year.)
- you are retired under Temporary Early Retirement Act (TERA) and have a VA disability rating of 50 percent or greater.
- you are a disability retiree who earned entitlement to retired pay under any provision of law other than solely by disability, and you have a VA disability rating of 50 percent or greater. You might become eligible for CRDP at the time you would have become eligible for retired pay. [see note 1]
note 1: An example would be a reservist who receives a CH 61 retirement and upon reaching the age of 60 qualifies for a reserve retirement. Another example would be a regular Army solider who receives a CH 61 retirement, but also has 20 years AD (and VA rating of at least 50%); therefore, he/she could receive CRDP.