Reserve Disability Retirement

How do I qualify for disability pay?

DISABILITY RETIREMENT

Reservists can qualify for military disability retirement pay or disability compensation. Service members who retire before the 20-year mark because of a permanent or temporary disability are referred to as “retired with a disability.”

Reservists who retire or leave the service with disabilities caused while on duty also can receive disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Permanent disability. Members officially rated by the military as at least 30 percent permanently disabled are entitled to disability retirement pay. To qualify, they must have spent at least eight years in the military, or the disability must have been incurred in the line of duty. The degree of disability is determined using the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities.

Temporary disability. Some veterans have medical problems that prevent them from carrying out their military duties, but their disabilities may not be permanent. These individuals may be placed on the Temporary Disability Retired List, and their disabilities will be re-evaluated every 18 months. Within five years, doctors must determine whether the disabilities are permanent.

VA disability compensation. VA offers disability payments to former military members with disabilities incurred or aggravated during active service. This compensation is separate from the military permanent and temporary disability payments and is tax-free.

Veterans with service-connected disabilities rated at 30 percent or more are entitled to additional allowances for their dependents. Veterans who do not qualify for military disability may qualify for VA disability, and vice versa. Some qualify for both. Military retirees who have disabilities should apply to the Defense Department and for VA disability compensation as well.

Military retirees with 20 or more years of service and a 50 percent or higher VA-rated disability no longer have their military retirement pay reduced by the amount of their VA disability compensation. This change was phased in from 2005 through 2014 for those with disabilities rated at 50 percent to 90 percent. Congress has eliminated the offset entirely for those rated 100 percent disabled.

Veterans classified as 100 percent disabled, as well as their spouses and any dependent children, may use military exchanges, commissaries and other base facilities and are eligible for a retired military ID card no matter how many years they served. However, they are not eligible for military medical care. VA provides medical care for eligible veterans, spouses and dependents.

VA pension. VA also offers a pension for wartime veterans with limited income and permanent disabilities that result from nonservice-connected disabilities. The pension varies according to veterans’ income, number of dependents and ability to care for themselves.  Disabled American Veterans, a private nonprofit organization, offers assistance to former troops with suspected disabilities.

Contact: Disabled American Veterans, www.dav.org.

Veterans service organizations, which are private nonprofits, offer assistance to military veterans with disabilities. Visit vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/national_partners.asp.