Navy CRSC: Filing With the Department of the Navy Board

Navy CRSC is decided by the Department of the Navy Combat-Related Special Compensation Board (CRSCB), which operates under the Secretary of the Navy Council of Review Boards (SECNAV CORB) at the Washington Navy Yard. You file with this board, not with the VA. The application is the federal DD Form 2860 (JUL 2011 edition), and you can submit it by mail or by email. The short version: send a complete DD Form 2860 plus the records that prove each rated condition is combat-related, to the address below or to CRSC@navy.mil.

Who decides Navy CRSC

For sailors and Navy retirees, CRSC is handled by the Department of the Navy’s own board — the Combat-Related Special Compensation Board (CRSCB), which sits under the Secretary of the Navy Council of Review Boards (SECNAV CORB) at the Washington Navy Yard. This is the body that reviews your application, weighs your evidence, and issues the decision. It is a Department of the Navy office, separate from the Department of Veterans Affairs: the VA assigns your disability ratings, but it does not decide CRSC. The Navy board does.

One thing that surprises a lot of people: the same Department of the Navy board also handles Marine Corps CRSC. If you served in the Marine Corps rather than the Navy, the process and the address are the same — see our Marine Corps CRSC page for that branch’s walkthrough.

How and where to submit

You can file your Navy CRSC packet two ways — by mail or by email. Use whichever fits how you keep your records, but keep a complete copy of everything you send.

What to include

The board approves what the paper proves, and the burden is on you, the applicant, to show by a preponderance of the evidence — more likely than not — that each condition is combat-related. Build the packet so the reviewer can verify every claim without guessing. Include:

• All DD214s and DD215s — every period of service, including corrections.
• Retirement orders.
• Complete VA rating decisions and VA code sheets. The code sheets matter as much as the decision letter; they show the diagnostic codes the board needs.
• Service medical records from the time of injury — the contemporaneous documentation of what happened and when.
• PEB results — your Physical Evaluation Board findings.
• Award citations — especially any that document a combat-related event or hazardous duty.

You do not need a Purple Heart to qualify. A Purple Heart is one qualifying path; armed conflict, hazardous service, conditions simulating war, and instrumentality of war cover far more retirees. What you do need is a clear, documented line from a qualifying event to each rated condition. See the categories →

How to check status

To check where your Navy CRSC claim stands, contact the branch directly: call 877-366-2772 or email CRSC@navy.mil. Have your name and any case or reference number from your correspondence ready so they can locate the file.

On timing: the board commonly cites roughly 12–18 months to process a claim. Treat that as an estimate, not a promise — actual time varies by branch, by workload, and by how complete your packet is when it arrives. A clean, well-documented submission is the one thing in your control that helps. We don’t guarantee any timeline, and you should be cautious of anyone who does.

If you’re denied: reconsideration

A denial is not the end of the road. If your Navy CRSC claim is denied, a Reconsideration Request Form comes with your decision letter, and it’s also available from the SECNAV CORB site. Complete it and submit it — with new evidence — to the same Kennon Street address or to CRSC@navy.mil.

The key word is new. Reconsideration works best when you give the board something it did not have the first time: a missing code sheet, additional service medical records, a clearer narrative connecting the event to the disability, or an award citation that documents the incident. Sending the same packet back rarely changes the outcome. If you want a second set of eyes before you resubmit, our reconsideration help and packet review are built for exactly that. More on why CRSC claims get denied.

An honest note — and how Standfast helps

CRSC is case-specific and decided solely by the Department of the Navy board. We don’t guarantee approval, a rating percentage, or a backpay amount — no one honestly can. What we do is help you build the strongest documented case your records support: confirm eligibility, map the exact records to pull, write the Block 13 causation narrative the board reads, and assemble the packet for the Navy board so nothing’s missing.

We charge a flat fee on purpose — never a percentage of your retroactive CRSC. You’ll know our price up front, and if we don’t think a packet is worth your money, we’ll tell you that on the free call. Common questions → · Take the 30-second readiness quiz →