The government has finally cleared up a conflict issue for Servicemembers who are returning home as veterans. If a combat veteran was injured on active duty and disabled in some way, and qualified to receive disability benefits they used to only be qualified for that payment. It used to be that if they qualified for disability, then they were not allowed to collect military or VA retirement pay, it was considered double dipping. This was seen as highly illegal and could not be engaged in legally.
Recently the government worked together with Congress to cut through the red tape. Congress worked with the Veterans Administration to cut through different red tape. If a veteran has been in combat and injured it is now okay for them to receive their military retirement it no longer matters if they are receiving military disability payments. Upon his separation from service after being wounded the Veteran then qualified for his regular scheduled retirement pay. This is mainly a benefit for a veteran career Servicemember who has more than 20 years of service. It provides for qualified Servicemembers to no longer be discriminated against and allows the full benefits and financial benefits that a Servicemember has qualified for to be given to them.
This is a new program and it starts immediately unlike some type of programs that are phased in over a longer period of time. If a veteran is qualified and reaches retirement age, they will receive their full retirement allowances and pay, plus any disability pay they are qualified for due to a military combat related injury. The new CRST legislation that allowed for these benefits were part of the National Defense Authorization Act. This area of benefits allows for veterans who have been disabled because of: being an instrument of war, functioning or being involved in a unit engaged in or simulating war, or being actually in an armed conflict or war conflict.
Each of the branches of the service has some different discretion as for the amounts and funding provisions, but as a rule it has not been the military or the service branches that have stood in the way of Veterans receiving the full benefits and retirement pay that they qualify for. The many different provisions are still being locked down, but this finally allows for veterans that have had long careers that toward the end are wounded or otherwise disabled. Veterans that are qualified for both different types of benefits now will be able to receive them.