Information verified through October 1, 2026.
The short answer. National Guard and Reserve retirees can receive Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) once they are entitled to retired pay and meet the other requirements. For most non-regular retirees, retired pay begins at age 60, and the DoD Financial Management Regulation says a reservist who has not reached that age is not eligible to receive CRSC payments. There are exceptions: the eligibility age can be reduced for certain active service after January 28, 2008, and Guard and Reserve members medically retired under Chapter 61 follow different rules.
Key takeaways
- Retired pay first. CRSC requires entitlement to retired pay. In the “gray area” before your retired pay starts, you generally cannot be paid CRSC.
- Age 60 can move. Qualifying active duty after January 28, 2008 can reduce the eligibility age by three months per aggregate 90 days in a fiscal year, but not below 50.
- Chapter 61 is different. Guard and Reserve members medically retired under Chapter 61 can be eligible without waiting for age 60.
- One exclusion. Retired pay under 10 U.S.C. § 12731b (the special 15-year disability rule) is excluded from CRSC by statute.
- Records are scattered. Line of duty determinations, mobilization orders and drill records often carry the proof.
The rule that controls everything: entitlement to retired pay
Under 10 U.S.C. § 1413a(c), an eligible retiree is a member who is entitled to retired pay (other than under section 12731b) and has a combat-related disability. DFAS lists the same baseline in plain terms: you must be entitled to and/or receiving military retired pay, be rated at least 10 percent by the VA, waive your VA pay from your retired pay, and file a CRSC application with your branch.
For active duty retirees, retired pay starts at retirement. For Guard and Reserve members with a non-regular (20 qualifying years) retirement, it does not. The DoD Financial Management Regulation, Volume 7B, Chapter 63, paragraph 4.3.1, says it directly:
“A reservist who has not reached the requisite age to receive retired pay (generally age 60) is not eligible to receive CRSC payments.”
That waiting period between earning a reserve retirement and drawing retired pay is often called the gray area. During it, you may hold a VA rating and receive VA compensation, but there is no retired pay to offset and no CRSC to pay.
Your eligibility age may be lower than 60
Federal law allows the reserve retirement age to be reduced. Under 10 U.S.C. § 12731(f), for members of the Ready Reserve who serve on certain active duty after January 28, 2008, the eligibility age is reduced below 60 by three months for each aggregate of 90 days served in a fiscal year (or, after September 30, 2014, in any two consecutive fiscal years). The eligibility age may not be reduced below 50. Many Guard and Reserve members who mobilized for overseas operations have earned some reduction. Your branch's retirement points statement and your Notice of Eligibility paperwork are where to confirm your actual date. If retired pay starts earlier, CRSC eligibility can start earlier too.
Medical retirement changes the timeline
Guard and Reserve members who were injured or became ill and were medically retired under Chapter 61 are not waiting for age 60. They are entitled to disability retired pay, and the CRSC rules for Chapter 61 retirees apply, including the special cap that can affect members with fewer than 20 years. Read Chapter 61 and CRSC and CRSC for Chapter 61 medical retirees.
One narrow exception runs the other way. Retired pay granted under 10 U.S.C. § 12731b, a special rule for reserve members with 15 but fewer than 20 qualifying years who are found unfit for physical disability, is excluded from CRSC by the statute itself. The FMR repeats that exclusion. If your retirement orders cite § 12731b, ask your branch how that affects you before relying on CRSC.
What makes a Guard or Reserve injury combat-related
The same four categories apply to every component: armed conflict, hazardous service, duty under conditions simulating war, and instrumentality of war, plus Purple Heart injuries. What differs is where the evidence lives.
- Mobilizations and deployments. Injuries from enemy action while mobilized fit armed conflict when documented.
- Annual training and drill. Realistic field training and live-fire exercises can fit training that simulates war. Routine administrative drill or physical fitness activity is a harder argument.
- Equipment. Injuries caused by military vehicles, aircraft or weapons can fit instrumentality of war.
Reserve component records are often split between the unit, the state (for the National Guard), the federal personnel system and the VA. Documents that frequently matter include line of duty determinations (for example, the Army's DA Form 2173 or the Air Force's AF Form 348), mobilization and annual training orders, medical records from the period of duty, and award citations. The DoD guidance says determinations are based on credible, objective documents, and that quality matters more than quantity.
Which board decides your claim
You file with the branch from which you retired. Army National Guard and Army Reserve retirees file with the Army's CRSC branch at Human Resources Command. Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve retirees file with the Air Force Personnel Center. Navy and Marine Corps Reserve retirees file with the Navy's CRSC board. DD Form 2860 asks reserve retirees to include their retirement point computation and Notification of Eligibility, the 15- or 20-year letter. See our branch guides: Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps.
Can you apply before you turn 60?
The FMR says a member may submit a CRSC application at any time, and that compensation is paid for months in which all conditions of eligibility were met. Some gray-area retirees choose to build and organize their evidence before retired pay begins so they are ready when it does. Whether your branch will adjudicate a claim before you are entitled to retired pay is a practical question to confirm with that branch. Either way, CRSC cannot be paid for months before you meet every eligibility condition. The FMR's effective-date rule for members who qualify later is that entitlement accrues the first day of the following month.
CRSC or CRDP?
Once retired pay begins, some reserve retirees qualify for both CRSC and Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP). You cannot receive both. DFAS offers an annual open season, which the FMR describes as normally January 1 through January 31, to change your election. See CRSC vs. CRDP.
What you should do now
- Confirm your retired pay start date, including any reduced eligibility age from post-2008 active service.
- Check your retirement orders for the authority cited, especially if you retired for disability.
- Gather line of duty determinations, orders and medical records for each injury.
- Pull every VA rating decision and note the rating and effective date for each condition.
- Get your 20-year letter or statement of service ready to include.
Not sure where you stand? Take the 30-second CRSC quiz or book a free 15-minute CRSC review.
Frequently asked questions
Can National Guard retirees get CRSC?
Yes, once they are entitled to retired pay and meet the other requirements. For most non-regular retirees that is age 60, though the age can be reduced for certain active service after January 28, 2008. Members medically retired under Chapter 61 can qualify without waiting for age 60.
I am in the gray area. Can I receive CRSC now?
Generally no. The DoD Financial Management Regulation says a reservist who has not reached the age to receive retired pay is not eligible to receive CRSC payments. You may still receive VA disability compensation during that time.
How much can my retirement age be reduced?
Under 10 U.S.C. 12731(f), by three months for each aggregate of 90 days of qualifying active duty in a fiscal year after January 28, 2008 (or in two consecutive fiscal years after September 30, 2014), but not below age 50. Confirm your date with your branch.
Do drill or annual training injuries count for CRSC?
They can, if the records show the injury happened in a qualifying category, such as realistic training that simulates war or an injury caused by military equipment. Routine activities are harder to support.
Which board handles Air National Guard retirees?
Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve retirees file with the Air Force Personnel Center. Army National Guard and Army Reserve retirees file with Army Human Resources Command.
Sources
- 10 U.S.C. § 1413a, Combat-related special compensation
- DoD Financial Management Regulation, Volume 7B, Chapter 63 (June 2024)
- 10 U.S.C. § 12731, Age and service requirements (Reserve retired pay)
- DFAS, Combat-Related Special Compensation
- DFAS, Apply for CRSC
- VA.gov, Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC)
- DoD Combat-Related Special Compensation program guidance
This article is provided for general educational purposes and is not legal, tax, financial or medical advice, and it is not a guarantee of CRSC eligibility, approval, effective date or payment amount. Standfast Veterans Group is not a law firm, not a Veterans Service Organization and not VA-accredited, and is not affiliated with the VA, the Department of Defense, DFAS or any branch of service. Rules, forms and procedures can change. Verify current requirements with your military department, DFAS, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or an appropriately accredited representative.