Combat Related Compensation Expanded Eligibility

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2008 Update: The 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, signed into law on January 29, 2008, includes changes to Chapter 61 retiree eligibility, a new component for (CRSC). This legislation expands eligibility to medical retirees with less than 20 years of service, effective January 1, 2008. Medically retired veterans must still provide documentation that shows a causal link between a current VA disability and a combat related event.

CRSC Eligibility
Combat Related Special Compensation eligibility includes disabilities incurred as a direct result of:

Armed Conflict (gunshot wounds, purple heart, etc)
Training that Simulates War (Exercises, field training, etc)
Hazardous Duty (flight, diving, parachute duty)
An Instrumentality of War (combat vehicles, weapons, agent orange, etc)
The following are the current CRSC eligibility requirements:

Retirees must apply to their respective branch of service to be approved for CRSC.
Retirees must be in receipt of VA compensation.
Retirees must be in receipt of military retired pay.
Retirees must have an approved combat-related VA disability rating of 10% or greater.
Retirees from active-duty must have 20 years of active service.
Chapter 61 Medical Retirees with less than 20 years.
Retired reservists must have 20 years of qualifying service (supported by documentation from the applicable branch of service such as a 20-year letter, retirement orders or a statement of service) in order to be eligible.
Please note that qualified reservists will not receive CRSC until they begin to receive retired pay at age 60.

Temporary Early Retirement Authorization (TERA) retirees are not eligible to receive CRSC unless they have returned to active duty and accumulated enough service time to meet the 20-year requirement before retiring for the second time.

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The Value of the CRSC Benefit:
The following table shows a sampling of how much extra you may get each month based on your VA disability rating.

Combat related VA Disability Rating Monthly CRSC
100% $2,527
90% $1,517
80% $1,349
70% $1,161
60% $921
50% $728
40% $512
30% $356
20% $230
10% $117

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The CRSC Application Process:
To receive Combat Related Special Compensation you must submit your application (DD form 2860), through your parent military service branch. Each service branch has the authority to determine your eligibility.

For more information on how to apply contact your parent military service branch:


ARMY:
Department of the Army
U.S. Army Physical Disability Agency
Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC)
200 Stovall Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22332-0470
Toll-free: 1-866-281-3254
Hours: 8am - 8pm EST
E-mail your questions to:
CRSC.info@us.army.mil
Or visit: http://www.crsc.army.mil

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The way I am reading this, it will open up benifits for a lot more Veterans, specifically those who were injured in combat but did not serve a full 20 years.