The numbers are mystifying, say officials. The $22 billion
Combat-Related Special Compensation program for disabled
military retirees has paid out only $100 million so far. Of
the half-million Army retirees who may be eligible, for
instance, only just over 28,000 have applied, said an Army
spokesman. CRSC was implemented to reverse an old law that
forced a retiree to forfeit a dollar of retired pay for
each dollar of disability compensation received from the
Veterans Administration. CRSC I, which began in 2003, pays
qualified retirees with at least 20 years of active duty
or 7,200 reserve service points, and who have a 10 percent
or more VA disability resulting in a Purple Heart, or a 60
percent disability because of combat or combat-related
causes. CRSC II, enacted in January, pays 20-year
active-duty retirees and Reserve Component retirees who
have combat or combat-related disabilities rated 10
percent or higher.
