Weigh the fee against the number
A flat fee is easy to judge once you know what is at stake. Estimate your monthly CRSC and back pay, then decide.
Estimate My CRSC & Back Pay → Free. Uses official 2026 VA rates.2026 pricing, published
| Service | Flat fee | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| CRSC Records Review | Current rate through Sep 30 · new rates take effect Oct 1, 2026 | A line-by-line read of your DD-214, VA decisions, and medical record: what's combat-related, provable, and worth per month. 100% credited toward a Full Packet within 90 days. |
| Full Packet Preparation | Current rate through Sep 30 · new rates take effect Oct 1, 2026 | Done-for-you: records review, recorded-interview personal statement, verified chain-of-command statements, causation narratives, DD Form 2860, final QC audit. |
| Reconsideration | Current rate through Sep 30 · new rates take effect Oct 1, 2026 | You were denied and need a stronger, better-documented second submission (CRSC Form 12e). Returning Standfast clients always pay $1,800. |
| 15-minute case review | Free | A straight, vet-to-vet read on whether a packet is even worth your money. |
Every fee is quoted before you commit. Full packet preparation includes one free revise-and-resubmit if your board returns the packet for administrative reasons; tell us in writing within 90 days of the board's decision. If we don't think we can help, we'll tell you on the free call. That costs you nothing.
Why flat fees matter after Soto
Since the Supreme Court's unanimous Soto decision removed the six-year cap on retroactive CRSC, back pay awards can reach five and even six figures. Companies that charge a percentage of your recovery take their cut out of exactly that money. On a $60,000 retroactive award, a 20% fee is $12,000, versus one flat fee no matter what your award turns out to be. Contingency firms that charge 5 to 6 times your monthly increase bill $4,500 to $20,000. The bigger the back pay Congress owed you, the more the percentage model costs you.
What full packet preparation actually includes
- Eligibility and case read: which of your rated conditions are realistically combat-related
- Records strategy: the exact records that prove each condition, and how to request what's missing
- Causation narrative per condition: event, mechanism, medical evidence, category, in the order the board reads it
- Personal statement built from a recorded interview with you
- Chain-of-command and witness statements drafted for your signers in the board's memo format
- Independent quality-control pass before the packet comes to you for signature
- DD Form 2860 completed, including the item 14.k narrative most retirees get wrong
- Branch-specific assembly to your board's address, format, and order
- Preservation language protecting your effective-date position
- One free revise-and-resubmit if your board returns the packet for administrative reasons (tell us in writing within 90 days of the board's decision)
Free and low-cost alternatives (honestly)
You can file CRSC yourself at no cost — the DD Form 2860 guide and our free Quickstart Kit exist for exactly that. NVLSP's Lawyers Serving Warriors program offers pro bono legal help to eligible veterans, and some VSO officers assist with CRSC. Where veterans typically hire us instead: complex multi-condition cases, Chapter 61 math, denials, and records that assert a combat link without documenting it. Start with the free eligibility quiz and calculator — then decide if you want help.
What the alternatives cost you
- Contingency claim firms commonly charge 5 to 6 times your monthly increase, or 25 to 40% of your backpay. On a $100,000 award that's $25,000 to $40,000, taken from money you're owed for your injuries.
- VSO (free): no fee, but national VSO offices commonly run 60 to 180 days out for intake, and CRSC is rarely their specialty.
- DIY: free in dollars. Standfast's founder spent 200+ hours and 277 pages building his own packet. Most retirees who try this either give up or submit a packet that gets denied for documentation gaps.
A VSO will do this for free. Why pay you? They can, and for a simple case with clean records a VSO may be all you need. Standfast exists for the cases that get denied on a form-fill: Chapter 61 retirees, contested causation, thin combat documentation. We build evidence, not just applications.
What's at stake: CRSC pays at official VA compensation rates, $796 to $2,362 per month for combat-related ratings of 40 to 90%, and over $3,900 at 100% with dependents. Tax-free, for life. Ten years of a mid-range award is roughly $190,000.
What CRSC is worth (2026 rates, no dependents): 50% ≈ $1,133/mo · 70% ≈ $1,808/mo · 100% ≈ $3,939/mo.
Every case is different. Your award depends on your combat-related rating, your retirement type, and your retired-pay offset. Rates: VA.gov, effective December 1, 2025.
“We charge like veterans, not like claim sharks: one flat fee, quoted up front, never a percentage of what you've earned.”
Cost FAQ
Do you charge a percentage of back pay?
No. Never. Flat fees only — your retroactive award is yours.
Are there hidden costs?
No. The fee quoted before you commit is the fee. Record-pulling is guided free of charge; if an independent medical opinion is recommended, that fee is separate and quoted in writing before you decide.
Do you offer payment plans?
Yes, through Affirm or Klarna at checkout, subject to their approval. On a full packet Affirm offers 6 monthly payments at 0% APR, or 12 or 36 monthly payments that are interest bearing at 10% to 36% APR, with the rate set by Affirm on approval. Klarna's 4 interest-free payments every 2 weeks are capped at $2,000, so they cover the records review and the reconsideration at its current rate, not the full packet; above that cap Klarna offers financing instead. Standfast receives the same flat fee either way and never charges interest or a fee for paying over time.
What if my claim is denied?
Board decisions can't be guaranteed by anyone. We prepare and quality-check the packet; you sign it and submit it to your branch board. We stay on call while the board reviews it. One free revise-and-resubmit if your board returns the packet for administrative reasons. Tell us in writing within 90 days of the board's decision. It covers the original scope; a merits reconsideration or new conditions is a separate service. Reconsideration support is a flat $1,800, whether the denied packet was ours or someone else's.
Do you offer refunds?
Full refund if you cancel before we open your records. Once work begins there are no refunds; the flat fee covers the work, not the outcome.
Common questions
Is there a free way to get CRSC help?
Yes. Veterans can file DD Form 2860 themselves at no cost, and organizations like NVLSP offer pro bono legal help to eligible veterans. Standfast also offers free tools before you spend anything: a CRSC eligibility quiz, a CRSC calculator, and a free 15-minute case review.
What is included in the full packet preparation fee?
Eligibility and case read, records strategy, a causation narrative for each claimed condition, a personal statement built from a recorded interview with you, chain-of-command and witness statements drafted for your signers in the board's memo format, an independent quality-control pass before the packet comes to you for signature, DD Form 2860 completion, assembly to your branch board's address and format, and preservation language protecting your effective-date position. One free revise-and-resubmit is included if your board returns the packet for administrative reasons; tell us in writing within 90 days of the board's decision.
Why do you publish your prices?
Because veterans deserve to know the cost before they pick up the phone. Flat, published fees are our answer to the percentage-fee claim-consultant model. You always know the price up front, and it never scales with the money you recover.
Know the price. Now get the honest read — free.
Fifteen minutes, vet to vet. If a packet isn't worth your money, we'll say so.