Under 38 U.S.C. § 5304(c) and related VA regulations, a veteran generally cannot receive both full active-duty military pay and full VA disability compensation for the same period — this is the concurrent-receipt bar. VA systems cross-check duty status through data shared with DoD/DFAS and the National Guard Bureau. When those records show a service member as being on Title 10 (federal active duty) orders, VA's automated systems can suspend or zero out disability payments, even if the underlying data is wrong or outdated. This most often happens with Guard or Reserve members whose duty status codes were entered incorrectly, not updated after release from active duty, or confused with another type of order (Title 32, drill status, or annual training).
When this occurs, the fix is not something VA can resolve on its own — the error usually originates in military pay or personnel records, so it has to be corrected at the source before VA's system will reflect accurate status. That means the veteran needs to obtain a Statement of Service or corrected duty-status memorandum from their unit S1/personnel office, along with a printout from their myPay or Reserve Component Common Personnel Data System (RCCPDS) record showing accurate order dates and duty type. These documents, along with any drill attendance records, need to be submitted to VA, ideally attached to evidence for the pending decision.
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 →Filing a Higher-Level Review (VA Form 20-0996) is appropriate if VA already made a decision to reduce or stop payments based on incorrect information, since it allows a new reviewer to reconsider without new evidence, but submitting corrected personnel records as part of a supplemental claim (VA Form 20-0995) may be necessary if VA needs new evidence to overturn the duty-status determination. Congressional inquiries can sometimes expedite review, but they rely on accurate DoD records being provided.
Because interrupted compensation can affect essential payments like a mortgage, veterans in this situation should also contact VA's Debt Management Center or their regional office to explain the hardship and request expedited handling while the records correction is processed.
The concrete next step is to get an official, signed statement of service and duty-status correction letter directly from the unit's personnel/S1 office and submit it to VA immediately, referencing the pending higher-level review.
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