The 2010 Defense Authorization Bill contains no provisions to allow a greater number of disabled retirees to collect both retirement pay from the Defense Department and disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The House had passed a bill that would have expanded exemptions to the so-called "concurrent receipt" curb, which requires that DoD retirement pay be offset dollar-for-dollar by the amount of VA disability compensation. The House measure, which eventually was included in its version of the 2010 defense bill, would have expanded Concurrent Retirement and Disability Payments (CRDP) for all medically retired ("Chapter 61") retirees who served fewer than 20 years. Severely (90 percent or 100 percent) Chapter 61 retirees would begin receiving CRDP payments next year; by 2014, all Chapter 61 retirees would receive the payments. But the Senate passed no similar measure in its defense bill. The problem, according to a Nov. 10 report on the defense bill by the Congressional Research Service, is the House measure called for funding only in 2010. "Many supporters of expanding concurrent receipt expressed concern … due to its scope and implementation," the CRS report stated.
