CRSC, CRDP Explained
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The Newsletter for Navy SHIFT COLORS Retirees Volume 57 Issue #1 Navy Personnel Command Spring 2011 CRSC, CRDP explained From the Combat-Related Special Compensation Board There are two concurrent receipt pro- grams available to Navy and Marine retirees who have VA-rated disabilities. They are the Concurrent Retirement and Disability Payments (CRDP) pro- gram and the Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC) program. Re- tirees who receive VA disability pay- ments have their retired pay “offset” (reduced) by the amount that the VA pays. Both of these programs “restore” some or all of that retired pay. The De- fense Finance and Accounting Service Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley (DFAS) calculates and pays monthly Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addresses residents CRDP and CRSC compensation. of Chambersburg, Pa., Feb. 10. Mullen visited the southern Pennsylvania town as part of his “Conversations with the Country” town hall meetings. In order to be eligible for these programs, disabled retirees must be eli- gible for retired pay and be in receipt Chairman Asks Communities to of VA disability compensation. Chap- ter 61 (medical retirees) with less than Help Veterans Reach Their Dreams 20 years service are eligible for CRSC By Karen Parrish The chairman has traveled around the only. 20-year and Temporary Early American Forces Press Service nation for his “Conversations with the Retirement Act (TERA) retirees (15-19 WASHINGTON – He is proud and Country” since last April, working to years of service) are eligible for both privileged to lead a military that is the raise awareness of how Americans can CRSC and CRDP. Retirees, eligible best he has seen in more than 40 years, help veterans and their families return for both programs, can receive com- the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of successfully from war to civilian life. pensation from only one of them. Staff said today. “They are extraordinary young men CRDP is automatic and is paid to 20- Speaking during a town hall meeting and women, and they come from all year and TERA retirees who have VA at Capitol Theatre in Chambersburg, over the country - and in some cases rated service connected disabilities of Pa., Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said, all over the world,” the admiral said. 50% or higher. There is no application “I’ll state the case up front: I believe “They make a difference, and they required, nor accepted. DFAS deter- that there is in our country [a] ‘sea want to make a difference.” mines eligibility and pays monthly of goodwill’ to support our men and The same service and sacrifice the na- CRDP compensation. CRDP is being women in uniform, and their families, tion witnessed in Iraq is now occurring phased in over 10-years and in 2011 is and we are now in our 10th year of in Afghanistan, the admiral said, and war.” See CRSC, Page 13 See CHAIRMAN, Page 12 www.npc.navy.mil/ReferenceLibrary/Publications/ShiftColors Shift Colors VADM Mark E. Ferguson III Inside this issue: Chief of Naval Personnel RADM Don Quinn 3 Japan Earthquake Aid Deputy Chief of Naval Personnel, 4 Website Links Unemployed Vets, Spouses to Commander, Navy Personnel Cmd. Pam Warnken Jobs Acting NPC Public Affairs Officer 5 Directors Links Wounded Warriors, Families Wm. Cullen James Editor to Resources Shift Colors, the newsletter for 6 Government Publishes Veterans Navy Retirees (NAVPERS 15886), is Homelessness Report published in accordance with Depart- ment of the Navy Publication and 7 Another Step Toward Speeding Up Claims Printing Regulations. The Secretary 8 National Defense Act Will Make Premium-based of the Navy has determined that this publication is necessary in the trans- TRICARE Benefits Available to Dependents up action of business required by law of the Department of the Navy. to Age 26 9 P-MART a Prescription Safety Tool Send correspondence to: Navy Personnel Command 10 Health Plan Remains Free for Troops Shift Colors 5720 Integrity Drive 11 Study Ties Problems to PTSD Millington, TN 38055 14 Retiree checklist: What survivors should know E-mail: [email protected] 15 Reunions Phone: (866) 827-5672 Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joseph M. Buliavac Fire Controlman 1st Class Daniel Boes, left, serves as a line coach while Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Lakeisha Henderson participates in a small-arms live-fire exercise aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Comstock (LSD 45). Comstock is part of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, which is underway on a regularly scheduled deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility. 2 Spring 2011 www.npc.navy.mil/ReferenceLibrary/Publications/ShiftColors Our Navy, Our Allies: Sailors Lend Aid in the Wake of Japan Earthquake Top: A tug boat is among debris in Ofunato, Japan, following a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subse- quent tsunami. (Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Matthew M. Bradley) Right: Marines and Sailors disembark from a KC- 130 Hercules during a humanitarian assistance mission in response to the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan March 11. (Photo by Marine Corps Master Sgt. Leo Salinas) Bottom right: Chief Naval Air Crewman Steven Sin- clair looks out from an HH-60H Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the Black Knights of Helicopter Anti- Submarine Squadron (HS) 4 - delivering humanitar- ian supplies to affected areas. (Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kevin B. Gray) Bottom left: Pumping Station 2 at Fleet and Indus- trial Supply Center Yokosuka Defense Fuel Support Point Hachinohe was damaged by the tsunami. (Photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Daniel Sanford) www.npc.navy.mil/ReferenceLibrary/Publications/ShiftColors Spring 2011 3 Website Links Unemployed Vets, Spouses to Jobs By Terri Moon Cronk Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the “It’s about a national program we American Forces Press Service Joint Chiefs of Staff, is a longtime need to put in place to share this great WASHINGTON – Unemployed advocate of hiring veterans. resource that we call people, because if veterans, wounded warriors, reserve- “Veterans bring a maturity. They you look at the unemployment rate, and component service members and their bring leadership. They bring a life the demographic of 18-to-24-year-olds, spouses searching for jobs can find experience,” he said last year. “They and then break that down into veterans, one-stop shopping at a Web portal bring a dedication they may not have it’s higher than the national average.” designed just for them. had when they were 17, 18 or 19 years And sometimes, he added, the rate of Operated by the Army Reserve, the old.” unemployment among veterans is twice military-friendly Employer Partnership Thurgood said the portal, launched on of the rate among civilians. of the Armed Forces at www.Employ- Veterans Day, still is in its infancy, but “We have ability to reach out to you erPartnership.org lends assistance not already has 7,500 registered users. personally to help you get your resume only to those looking for a job, but also “We’ve got over 1,300 [employers right, help you through the interview to public and private employers who with job openings], including 95 For- process, and make the right connec- are ready to hire former service mem- tune 500 companies,” he said. tions with employers,” the general said. bers and help to support the troops, While many job websites exist on “The personal touch is something we said Maj. Gen. Keith L. Thurgood, the Internet, Thurgood said, veterans provide that nobody else does.” deputy chief of the Army Reserve. should know EmployerPartnership. The portal also has advice for vet- “It’s all about connecting supply and org offers a personal touch, such as a erans who want to start a business, demand,” Thurgood said. resume-building feature that translates Thurgood noted, offering training that Employers are attracted to veterans military language into civilian terms. explains how to become a smarter busi- because they are highly skilled leaders Deciphering “military speak” is a ness person and entrepreneur. from the finely tuned military atmo- common concern for human resources “It’s free, it’s easy, and it’s a great sphere, the general explained. people in the corporate world, the gen- way for us to connect the great skill “It’s a mutually beneficial program eral added. sets that we bring to corporate Ameri- where the employer gets someone “We take [a military specialty] and ca,” he said. “In my opinion, our great who’s drug-free, understands collabo- translate it into something an HR pro- military does two things well: it deliv- ration, [and] can think strategically fessional can understand,” he said. ers results and grows leaders. That’s and act at a tactical level to get the job And it’s not just about the military, exactly what America needs.” done,” Thurgood said. Thurgood said. Visit www.employerpartnership.org. Veterans Affairs Provides Benefits to Veterans’ Caregivers From a White House News Release injured veterans, and they deserve our Services Act are restricted by law to WASHINGTON – The Veterans ... support and gratitude.” the caregivers of the most seriously ill Affairs Department is launching the In addition to the new benefits and and injured post-9/11 veterans. Those first of a series of new and enhanced services for eligible veterans who were additional benefits include: services supporting family caregivers disabled in the line of duty since Sept. • A monthly stipend; of seriously ill and injured veterans. 11, 2001, VA also will begin provid- • Health care coverage; President Barack Obama signed the ing benefits and services to caregivers • Travel expenses, including lodg- Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus of veterans of all eras who already are ing and per diem, while accompa- Health Services Act of 2010 legislation enrolled in VA care, including: nying veterans undergoing care; in May, authorizing VA to establish a • Access to VA’s toll-free Caregiver • Respite care; and wide range of new services to support Support Line at 1-855-260-3274; • Mental health services certain caregivers of eligible post-9/11 • Expanded education and training Each VA medical center has designat- veterans.