If you are retired from the Guard or Reserve with a VA rating of 50% or better, no matter what you have been told in the past, you may still qualify for Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP), formerly Concurrent Receipt, even if you were medically retired under Chapter 61.

Up until recently DFAS has been telling Guard and Reserve retirees that they had to have a minimum of 7200 points to qualify for CRDP. However thanks to the efforts of one man, namely Robert Trinkle USAFR Ret., DFAS has now realized their error. Specifically that any retired guard member or reservist that has "20 Good Years" and meets the remaining eligibility requirements is eligible to get their CRDP benefits just like their active duty counterparts. The hang-up in the past was that DFAS was using 7200 points as the determinant factor.

Here are the CRDP basics:
The 2004 National Authorization Act (NDAA) includes provisions for a ten-year plan to eliminate the offset of retired pay for VA disability compensation for those with 50-100% disabilities. The program has been renamed to Concurrent Retirement and Disability Payments (CRDP).

Eligibility for the CRDP includes: ALL chapter 61 medically retired personnel with twenty years of service whether their service was twenty or more years of active duty or twenty or more "GOOD YEARS" for Reserve Retirement (section 12732 of US Code 10). The new law does not require 7200 active duty points or 7200 total points, just 20 good years for Guard/Reserve retirement. Each good year requires a minimum of 50 points.

Click here to get more information directly from the DoD.

Retirees who did not receive a payment by April 1, 2004, but believe they qualify, should contact DFAS first or their Military Department to determine the reason for non-payment.

What you need to do next:
Unfortunately as an eligible Guard or Reserve Retiree you must take action to ensure that you start getting your CRDP. You need to take the following steps:
·  Gather all of your documentation including your letter of Retirement Eligibility ("20 Good Years Letter") and your last point summary.
·  Call the DFAS Cleveland Office at: 1-800-321-1080 even if you have been turned away in the past.
·  Check back with DFAS on a regular basis.

Robert Trinkle has personally taken on this battle to ensure that he and fellow retired members of the Guard and Reserve get the benefits they have coming. If you have any questions or need assistance getting your benefits started you can contact Robert Via E-mail at: trinkler@worldnet.att.net