These damned bureaucrats (Of whom I am ashamed to say I once was) are driving me up against the wall!
After waiting too long to get the VA to act upon my claim (the main reason they blame for the delay was the local AFB not sending my records when requested) I was approved and received a disability letter dating back to Dec 1, 2004) It was dated Apr 17th of this year and, amazingly, I am due to receive my first full check June 1st coming (even though they still don't have it right and I'm waiting for them to show that I am married after more than 18 years).

Even more amazing, I received notice that DFAS will be paying me CRDP in my June check - and I never applied for it.
As soon as I received my VA Disability letter, I applied for CRSC and just received a denial dated May 16th stating that they have no record
of my signing a waiver. (How does DFAS give me something I did NOT apply for and the good ole USA won't give me something I DID!)
I called DFAS this morning and talked to one of their brilliantly helpful "technicians" and was told that it is obvious I had signed the waiver and to recontact USA CRSC. So I did and was told that it was just a matter of one computer not talking to another and to fill out the CRSC Form 26 and fax it back to them, which I plan to do today.

But, that ain't what frosts my tush!!! I asked when I could expect my "Retro" pay and got a lecture from the DFAS broad on how that was only
for those who had NOT received benefits and because I HAD received a pension, retro pay was not to be forthcoming. And, when I asked the
CRSC guy the same question, his reply was, "it's up to DFAS to make the determination. We only deal with CRSC and will provide them the date of your eligibility." When I mentioned the Dec 2004 date, he waffled and repeated that it is up to DFAS.

So, what the hell is going on here?
I've read everything I can find here and every "official website I can find and everything I've read tells me that I am entitled to CRDP
or CRSC back to the date I was determined to be disabled based upon the percentage granted.
Does that mean there ain't no more?
All I'm gonna get is what they've already given me - once they get the unmarried mess straightened out?
Retro Pay is just another pile of bureaucratic bullshit?
Please! Someone set this straight for me! I'm ready to puke (as if it ain't bad enough that the VA pulled every single one of my teeth
and I'm looking forward to a month of eating mush and babyfood - tried that Gerber's garbage and I wouldn't even feed it to my dog!!!!)

Most interesting! You know I have noticed what seems to be a total lack of information being given about the famous "VA Retro Pay Project". It was supposed to happen last fall, then this spring, and yet there seems to be a lot of silence about it. The whole thing seemed to be a lot of smoke and mirrors about how difficult it was to calculate etc. Getting a straight answer from anyone seems to get me about the same result. I am amazed that it is not a hot button topic with anyone.

Update: I had to call DFAS today about an issue, and while on the phone asked about the status of the "Retro Pay Project" She said, just a minute I will check on yours. She looked it up on some "working cases" files on the computer and assured me I was in the system for retro pay! They have not forgotten about me after all! I can almost smell the money now!

Yeah. the same VA guy who set me straight about taxes indicated that he hears the same thing, especially since CRSC was effective early 2004, all those entitled are in the hopper and it's just a matter of wading through the piles of applications.

I received CRDP Retro pay from DFAS (100%) on May 1, effective since Jan '05. I FAXED my RAS (retired account statements) and VA ratings to military pay at DFAS in March, but I don't know
this was instumental in bumping them in the right direction. As a point of interest, CRDP Retro is taxable.

Good luck to all of you still waiting.

ifRetro is real it will happen it happened to me

Dale, You did not say what percent of disability you are receiving. The CRDP is automatic and the CRSC is approved by your branch of service.

I take it that you are getting over 50% since they are going to pay you CRDP.

As far as I know you should receive back pay, with CRDP it is still on a phase in unless you are 100% Scheduled.

If you still have questions, please let me know your percent of disability.

Grover

As of Jan 2007, I was rated 90% with 100% unemployability.
Currently, my DFAS statement shows me drawing my Army retirement with a VA Waiver. It does not show CRDP.
I applied for CRSC in Late April and it was turned down. I then reapplied and am awaiting for their decision - due some time in July.
On top of that, I am still waiting to hear from the DVA to change my status from single to married.
As usual, the bureaucrats are taking their sweet damned time!

Dale, you stated, "As of Jan 2007, I was rated 90% with 100% unemployability.
Currently, my DFAS statement shows me drawing my Army retirement with a VA Waiver. It does not show CRDP."

I trust you are reading all of your DFAS statement, but to be sure I will ask this question. You have your Gross Pay, then you have the VA Waiver. Is the waiver the same as the amount of your VA Disability? For example, my VA Waiver is only $937.44. Then if you go to page two under the MESSAGE SECTION it states that "Based on information received from the VA, your CRDP amount is $1,672.56. If you add these two amount together you come up with my total VA which is $2,610.00 with a spouse. DFAS started showing the VA Waiver this way over a year ago now.

Dale, I see no reason why you should not receive your back pay, may take some time since you are way down on the list. I would have thought that the system would have been changed by now and the back pay figured with the claim.

If you do not want to put everything on here for all to read you can email me direct at CTX51400@Centurytel.Net . Also, is your retirement more or less than your VA. My retirement is more than my VA. If your retirement is also more, then your VA Waiver should be about the same as mind, the spouse my make a small difference. When did you retire?

Grover

Just wondering if anyone else has got their Retro Pay from this project.
I am referring to retro CRSC. DFAS again told me last week that I am "on the list", but this is dragging on far too long I think. My check should be for over 10k if they ever get around to it.

Well, right now they are not going to pay until the final budget is passed. At the rate they are shoveling money into the desert, I am not surprised that they are dragging their b-tt.

Called last week also said on list, about 7K from dfas and 4k from va. Back to 2004 and 2005.

This stuff gets deep, but I cannot for the life of me understand how you could be due retro from the VA. The way I figure it, only CRSC payments are due, and maybe CDRP, I know nothing about CDRP

Care to elaborate?

quote:

Originally posted by nmichaud:
Called last week also said on list, about 7K from dfas and 4k from va. Back to 2004 and 2005.

Greetings and special blessings to one and all.

The reason you can get back pay from the VA and CRSC or CRDP is that the government is now paying us both amounts if you have a high enough % of disability and over 20 years in.

CRSC was effective in Jun 2003 I think and CRDP started the phase in in Jan 04.

Any new awards by the VA or any increases in your award by the VA will get you back pay/retro pay.

Pretty simple except that most of us want to make it very hard to understand.

If you need more examples let me know. I will be out of the net for a few days starting on Wed.

May God richly bless and keep each of you.

In His Service,

Grover

P. S. In case you have not seen the information, the Senate has passed the Full CRDP for the 100% with an effective date of Jan 2005. It still has to make it through the Conference between the House and the Senate. Would be great. The owe me close to $40,000.00 if they approve it back to Jan 2005.

By the way, CRDP is the same as CRSC except that CRSC is for combat and is tax free. The amounts are the same based on your % of disability. CRDP is non-combat Concurrent Receipt of Retired Pay. In other words, we are receiving our retired pay and VA pay at the same time, thus the word Concurrent is used.

Grover

quote:

P. S. In case you have not seen the information, the Senate has passed the Full CRDP for the 100% with an effective date of Jan 2005. It still has to make it through the Conference between the House and the Senate. Would be great. The owe me close to $40,000.00 if they approve it back to Jan 2005.

What? The only two bills S 558 and S 439 are still trapped at committee or whatever. The only thing I know is that concurrent is due to retirees over 20 years with a VA rating of 50% or more.

Here is a link to diffuse any confusion.

http://www.military.com/benefits/military-pay/retired-p...ent-receipt-overview

Here are the links on the current legislation.

S 439 Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2007

http://capwiz.com/military/issues/bills/?bill=10192011

HR 303 Retired Pay Restoration Act (House Version)
http://capwiz.com/military/issues/bills/?bill=10192031

S 558 Full Concurrent Receipt

http://capwiz.com/military/issues/bills/?bill=8264086

HR 303 Full Concurrent Receipt (House Version)

http://capwiz.com/military/issues/bills/?bill=8264191


Please cite your reference if it is different than these please.

Regards,

USCG Ret.

Here is the information that I just received last Friday from the MOAA:

Senate Adopts Major Military Benefit Upgrades
It was a very good week for the military community, as the full Senate approved a number of amendments addressing a broad range of MOAA's and The Military Coalition's key issues, including:

"Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-NV) amendment that would provide full, immediate concurrent receipt to disabled retirees deemed "unemployable" by the VA retroactive to January 1, 2005.

Sen. Bill Nelson's (D-FL) amendment that would accelerate 30-year paid-up Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) coverage to October 1, 2007 and bar deduction of VA survivor benefits from SBP annuities.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg's (D-NJ) and Sen. Chuck Hagel's (R-NE) amendment that would bar any increases in TRICARE fees for FY2008 and articulate the sense of Congress that military health care is a crucial offset to the adverse conditions of service and that military people pay substantial premiums up-front in extended service and sacrifice over and above any cash fees.

Sen. Saxby Chambliss's (R-GA) amendment that would reduce the Reserve retirement age by three months for each 90 days served on active duty since 9/11/01.

Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) amendment that would increase the maximum annual points creditable for Reserve component retirement to 130 points (vs. 90) for 2007 and subsequent years.
Sen. Norm Coleman's (R-MN) amendment that would authorize paying increased reimbursements for mental health care if required to meet needs, and requiring a Pentagon report on military beneficiaries' adequacy of access to mental health services.

Sen. Blanche Lincoln's (D-AR) amendment that would authorize Guard or reserve members to use their mobilization GI Bill benefits up to 10 years after separating from the selected reserve."

"P. S. In case you have not seen the information, the Senate has passed the Full CRDP for the 100% with an effective date of Jan 2005."

The Full CRDP in my para above should have said IU after the 100%.

Some of the above links provided are from the original Bills submitted in the House and Senate. These have been updated and worked on some.

May God richly bless and keep each of you.

In His Service,

Grover

I am a bit thick I guess, but still am confused. Even though we can receive the VA payment, that same amount comes out of our retired pay, evens itself out, no backpay there.
The CRSC however is what is covered under the VA Retro pay project as I read it and it goes back to the effective date VA sets in the award letter. So, my question remains, how would we ever get any VA retro pay? It sounds like you are saying that we are entitled to the VA disability payment amount AS WELL AS CRSC, that can't be so surely.

My understanding is that those who get CRSC or CRDP get to keep their military retirement pay and get their VA payments.

"With CRSC you can receive both your full military retirement pay and your VA disability compensation, if the injury is combat-related."

And for CRDP
http://www.military.com/benefits/military-pay/retired-p...current-receipt-faqs


A good chart
http://www.military.com/benefits/military-pay/retired-pay/comparing-crsc-crdp

Greetings and special blessings to one and all.

Quote "It sounds like you are saying that we are entitled to the VA disability payment amount AS WELL AS CRSC, that can't be so surely." Quote

Yes, we are entitled to both VA and CRSC if we have over 20 years in. For CRDP you have to be getting at least 50% VA. Once the phase in period is over, we will be receiving full VA and full retired pay, CRDP taxable, CRSC tax free. You can not get both and you can not split the amounts.

Example, a new person is approved for 80% VA with an effective date of say 1 Jan 07 and VA states that you will start drawing your VA check the 1st of Nov 07. In the pass, you simply could take the amount off of your taxable retired pay, as you do not pay tax on what you get from the VA. However, now with all the changes, VA will owe you back pay/retro pay for Jan thru Oct 07 up to the amount that we are now drawing for CRDP since we are still on the phase in period. I am still giving up $975.00 of my retired pay per month. In the case I have given you would not be due any back pay from DFAS since you have been receiving all of your retired pay.

The back pay from DFAS comes in when the programs first started and it took so many months to get approved for CRSC. Or if you received an increase from the VA.

I have talked to several who have received back pay from the VA, but are still waiting to receive it from DFAS.

It is very confusing to understand all of it. I will not get any retro/back pay since I was drawing my full 100% IU before Jan 2004.

I trust this helps you to understand the system a little better.

May God richly bless and keep each of you.

In His Service,

Grover

P. S. This is my understanding of the system and from what I have heard from others. I trust I have not confused anyone.