Military retired pay and VA disability compensation are administered by two different systems, and whether you can receive both in full depends on which concurrent receipt program you qualify for, not simply on having matching "100%" ratings on both sides.
Historically, every dollar of VA disability compensation reduced military retired pay dollar for dollar, because federal law bars receiving both forms of pay for the same disability without offset. Congress created two programs to reduce or eliminate that offset. Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay, known as CRDP, applies to retirees who qualify for retired pay based on length of service, meaning at least 20 years of active duty or a qualifying Reserve retirement, and who have a VA disability rating of 50 percent or higher. If you meet those two conditions, your retired pay is no longer reduced by your VA compensation, and you receive both concurrently and in full. Your DOD disability rating percentage, if you were medically retired, is not the deciding factor for CRDP; what matters is that you have 20-plus qualifying years and a VA rating of 50 percent or above. CRDP is generally phased in automatically through DFAS once both DOD and the VA confirm eligibility, though it can take time to show up correctly on your pay statements.
Official 2026 VA monthly compensation, including the 2.8% COLA increase.
Dependent add-ons start at a 30% rating. Child-only and dependent-parent rates: see the full 2026 pay chart.
| Rating | Monthly (2026, incl. 2.8% COLA) |
|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 |
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Analyze my claim free →The other program, Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC), is only for disabilities the military determines are combat-related, and it can apply even to those who do not have 20 years of service in some cases, or who were medically separated. CRSC requires a separate application through your branch of service, not the VA.
If your retirement is a disability retirement under Chapter 61 with fewer than 20 years of creditable service, the rules are more restrictive, and you may not qualify for full concurrent receipt under CRDP unless you separately qualify for CRSC or later reach 20 years of service in another way.
In short, you do not need 100 percent on both the DOD and VA sides to receive concurrent payments; the usual threshold is 20-plus years of service plus a VA rating of 50 percent or higher for CRDP, or a combat-related determination for CRSC. The two programs can also be compared and elected if you qualify for both, since DFAS will generally apply whichever benefits you more.
The concrete next step is to contact DFAS directly, or review your retiree account statement, to confirm whether CRDP has already been applied, and if your disability is combat-related, file a CRSC application through your branch's CRSC board rather than through the VA.
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