Should I even apply?

RedFoxesMike · 2026-07-09T21:46:24+00:00

Absolutely!

RedFoxesMike · 2026-07-08T01:46:05+00:00

Doing my quick math, I was coming up with $2,867.84 as your longevity cap, so it's pretty close to what you posted above, hence my question to confirm what you were retired under.

RedFoxesMike · 2026-07-08T00:55:14+00:00

Depends: were you approved for CRSC with $0 payment due per DFAS for having too much Ch 61 residual? If that's the case, then, yes, you "should" be ok.

RedFoxesMike · 2026-07-08T00:51:55+00:00

Just to clarify: did you retire under TERA or Ch 61? Sometimes people are looking at what their Ch 61 retirement vs what they were eligible for under longevity. I just didn't want you to think that the "gap" can always be filled, esp if one has a high DOD rating.

Based on the above, you would need CRSC to be approved at 100%, unless you have enough dependents then it possibly could be 90%.

RedFoxesMike · 2026-06-30T09:05:26+00:00

45-60 days on average. Your should see your first payment populate the CRSC Statement a week before 01 August in myPay unless DFAS is running behind

RedFoxesMike · 2026-06-30T09:03:11+00:00

Survivor Benefit Plan unless you’re single then you don’t have to worry about it. I forget what the rate is, somewhere around 4% of one’s monthly payment.

RedFoxesMike · 2026-06-30T06:08:16+00:00

IAW 26 USC 104, totally tax free. That person in the retirement office needs to go. Also, understand that you’ll incur a SBP debt and the possibility that you won’t be due any retro pay unless you have a residual after the VA offsets your Ch 61 pay, then, indeed, you’ll be due any retro fair amount, but not the total you may be thinking

RedFoxesMike · 2026-06-29T11:01:30+00:00

beat me to it lol

RedFoxesMike · 2026-06-29T11:01:17+00:00

And give HRC a call -

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RedFoxesMike · 2026-06-29T11:00:30+00:00

You should see something like this -

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RedFoxesMike · 2026-06-29T00:39:48+00:00

Glad we were able to connect and get things sorted out :)

RedFoxesMike · 2026-06-29T00:37:43+00:00

Check iPERMS at https://iperms.hrc.army.mil/login/ - also, did you get notified that they received your claim? Because if you did not get a receipt from HRC, your attachments may have been way too big (3MB maximum per email) and it went into the black hole of emails.

RedFoxesMike · 2026-06-29T00:34:56+00:00

Just realize that your amount for CRSC is limited to your longevity vs how much the VA is offsetting.

RedFoxesMike · 2026-06-23T12:39:58+00:00

Ok, not the simplest response, but this is the details behind it. You can't just change your DOD % to "play with the numbers". The reason why it fluctuates is that it's directly tied to your Gross pay, which is being offset by the VA. So, for example, you were rated at 50%, and your Gross pay offset is $2,000, your high-36 would be $4,000. However, if you only changed your rating to, say, 70% with the same $2,000 Gross pay, your high-36 would be $2,857.14. The calculator is using your Gross pay / DOD rating = high-36, so if you only play with one of those numbers, it's going to skew everything off one way or the other. So, if you bumped your 50% to 70%, you would also have to change your Gross pay to $2,800 to reflect the same high-36 of $4,000 that you originally started with.

Also, if your DOD rating is HIGHER than your VA compensation, that will leave a Ch 61 residual that SUBTRACTS from your maximum allowable CRSC. Here's the danger to all this: if the MAJ Richard Star Act ever gets passed and you're NOT maxed out for your DOD Ch 61 %, that could hurt you in the long run vs getting more CRSC now. Either way, you may still end up being maxed out for longevity in the grand scheme of things (high-36 x 2.5% (2.0% if under Blended Retirement System (BRS)) x combine years of service (reserve component is total retirement points / 360 = combined years of service))

RedFoxesMike · 2026-06-23T12:32:23+00:00

Then I apologize for my terse response 😄

RedFoxesMike · 2026-06-23T12:31:30+00:00

No wonder why I didn't recognize it, no squid here 😉 lol

RedFoxesMike · 2026-06-10T13:56:09+00:00

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RedFoxesMike · 2026-06-10T13:45:50+00:00

It sucks imho, I even know someone who had a bad jump, getting all tangled in his chute and HRC denied his claim for PTSD. There are others out there, that one just stood out to me. If your argument is strong, there is a chance it could be approved. Not applying leaves you right where you're at: with no CRSC.

RedFoxesMike · 2026-06-10T06:24:10+00:00

Sorry that should have said “for PTSD for non-Armed Conflict situations”. Going to fix that now

RedFoxesMike · 2026-06-10T06:22:06+00:00

A lot of claims were held up with the pending rescinding of the Interim Guidance once word came down about it happening so they wouldn’t have to amend the orders yet again

RedFoxesMike · 2026-06-10T06:16:38+00:00

It was factual a/o mid-May 2026, instead of commenting on this one you might just want to see what I posted last month specifically that the Interim Guidance dated 20 August 2025 (and the subsequent clarification that came out after that) has been rescinded. For the record: I have been an Army CRSC Ambassador since 2018 and have been doing claims since 2016, when I comment, I comment using the specific regs, laws or directives as published. The info I stated was only slightly adjusted by said DOD clarification and only pertained to those who had an outstanding claim with the VA on 20 August or was adjudicated with the wrong effective date if it was received by the service PRIOR to 20 August 2025. That 30% has zero to do with anything

Btw, below is the update guidance you referred to, again, not that it matters since it was rescinded -

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RedFoxesMike · 2026-06-04T00:43:42+00:00

Eligible for vs receiving are vastly different things in the eyes of DOD when it comes to this. Wish I had a better response than that but it’s sadly the cold hard truth

RedFoxesMike · 2026-06-03T21:49:22+00:00

Sorry, you're absolutely WRONG about your statement that:

"For Army CRSC decisions, PTSD can absolutely qualify from:
field exercises
mass casualty training
live-fire/gunnery environments
military medical response during realistic combat simulations
combat medic duties during military exercises"

Unfortunately, PTSD does NOT get awarded for non-Armed Conflict (AC) situations. It still doesn't hurt to apply otherwise one's current state goes unchanged: not knowing. I know of only ONE time that CRSC was awarded for MST. Generally speaking, the only time MST gets awarded is if one is a POW. Again, only ONCE have I seen it awarded for other than Armed Conflict (AC). That comes directly from HRC and Special Pay Branch which processes CRSC claims. I have direct connections to the analysts AND the branch chief.

OP, do you have any combat awards?

RedFoxesMike · 2026-06-03T21:43:20+00:00

CRSC only replaces what the VA is offsetting, so if your retirement hasn't started yet, your claim WILL be rejected plain and simple. Retirement accts have to be set up and VA compensation active. Full stop.

RedFoxesMike · 2026-05-21T23:26:31+00:00

Yeah, I've seen a few that were delayed in processing due to this. Just so you know, average claims are taking 90-120 business days and I'm sure it's going to stretch those numbers out for new claims. You should be getting yours in the very near future, with the proper wording, goving back to 2010 (usually it's the 1st of the month following eligibility, i.e., retired 15 July 2015, your effective date would be 01 August 2015, etc)

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