Sources: VA compensation rates, effective Dec 1, 2025·10 U.S.C. 1413a·DoD FMR Vol. 7B, Ch. 63·Soto v. United States (2025)·DFAS CRSC guidance
Before using the payment check
The 2026 table value for your percentage is shown without any contact details. To see the three-point check, the form asks for your email address only. After the result appears, a second, optional form asks for your name, mobile number and service branch, for readers who want Standfast to look at their award with them. Read the contact-consent statement at each form and the privacy policy before submitting.
Check your CRSC payment 2026 VA rates
Three ways an approved CRSC award can leave money out
An approval letter settles which conditions your branch accepted on the day it decided. It does not update itself, and it does not tell you whether the amount DFAS pays matches it. These are the three places to look.
1. The payment is below the table value for your percentage
CRSC is valued from the VA compensation table, then limited. It can never be more than the retired pay you waived to receive VA compensation, and Chapter 61 retirees have a separate limit tied to years of service. A payment below the table value is usually one of those limits, and it is not an error. It can also come from dependents that are on your VA award but not reflected in the payment. Pay questions go to DFAS, not to your branch's CRSC office. Our guide to reading your Retiree Account Statement shows where the figures are, and the DFAS audit explainer covers how DFAS works out what is payable.
2. Your combat-related percentage is lower than your VA rating
Your VA rating combines every service-connected condition. Your CRSC award counts only the conditions your branch approved as combat-related. The gap is made of conditions the board denied, conditions you never put forward, and conditions the VA rated after your decision. None of those are added automatically. For a retiree who is already approved, the route is generally a reconsideration request to your branch, with records that tie each condition to armed conflict, hazardous service, an instrumentality of war, or training that simulates war. Not every condition qualifies. See adding conditions after approval and CRSC reconsideration.
3. The back pay stopped at six years
Before June 12, 2025, CRSC back pay was limited to six years before the application. The Supreme Court ended that in Soto v. United States. The Army has said it is correcting effective dates on existing awards automatically and that retirees who already have an award do not need to reapply. That review changes dates only. The automatic review explainer covers what it does and does not fix, including the other branches, and the back pay timeline covers how far back an award can reach.
What it costs to have it looked at
The first conversation is free: fifteen minutes with a veteran who reads CRSC decisions every day. If there is work worth doing, it is a flat fee quoted before you commit, never a percentage of your back pay. Payment plans are available. If there is nothing to gain, we say so.
Common questions about an approved CRSC award
My CRSC is lower than the VA rate for my percentage. Is that a mistake?
Not necessarily. CRSC can never be more than the retired pay you waived to receive VA compensation, and Chapter 61 retirees have a separate limit tied to years of service. A payment below the table value is usually one of those limits at work. Your Retiree Account Statement shows the figures DFAS used.
Can a CRSC award be increased after it is approved?
Yes, in three situations: the VA raised the rating on a condition your branch already approved, the VA awarded special monthly compensation, or the VA rated additional conditions that may be combat-related. For a retiree who is already approved, that generally means a reconsideration request to your branch rather than a new initial claim.
Do I need a new application to add a condition?
Generally no. Once you have a CRSC decision, a new or changed condition is handled as a reconsideration request to your branch. The DoD reconsideration form is DD Form 3210. A condition your board never saw still needs its own combat-related determination, with records that show how it happened.
Who do I contact about the amount DFAS is paying?
DFAS. The CRSC offices decide which conditions are combat-related; they do not handle pay inquiries or changes to dependents. DD Form 3210 directs those questions to DFAS at 1-888-332-7411.
Was my back pay limited to six years?
It may have been if your award was decided before the Supreme Court's ruling in Soto v. United States on June 12, 2025, which held that the six-year limit does not apply to CRSC. The Army has said it is correcting effective dates on existing awards automatically. That review changes dates only; it does not add conditions.
Approved is not the same as paid in full.
Bring your CRSC decision letter and your latest Retiree Account Statement. We will tell you straight whether your award leaves anything out, and whether it is worth the work to go after it.
Keep going
Each of the three checks has a page that goes deeper: