1. The Adjutant General Directorate “People Always... Mission First” CRSC Ambassador Orientation Call Prepared for: CRSC Ambassadors UNCLASSIFIED

2. The Adjutant General Directorate “People Always... Mission First” 2 Agenda Welcome & Introductions CRSC Program Review CRSC Claim Workshop Purpose of Ambassador Program Open Discussion

3. The Adjutant General Directorate “People Always... Mission First” 3 Purpose of the CRSC Program In order to better understand eligibility requirements, it is important to know why CRSC was created  Since the late 1800s, retired veterans with disabilities waived their regular retired pay to receive Veterans Administration (VA) disability compensation  In December 2002, Congress enacted a legislative initiative to restore military retirement compensation that is on par with Federal service benefits  As a result of this legislation, Congress authorized CRSC for disabled retired veterans to offset the monies taken out of a servicemember’s retirement pay through a VA waiver

4. The Adjutant General Directorate “People Always... Mission First” 4 Who is Eligible? Must meet ALL three requirements Have documentation that links your VA disability to a combat-related event AND 1. Receiving military retired pay 2. Military retired pay is reduced by VA disability payments (VA Waiver) 3. Have 10% or greater VA rated injury 1. Simulating War (SW) 2. Hazardous Service (HS) 3. Instrumentality of War (IN) 4. Armed Conflict (AC)

5. The Adjutant General Directorate “People Always... Mission First” Service-Related vs. Combat-Related Service Related (CRDP eligibility) –An Illness or injury which the Soldier incurred while in active military service or which existed prior to entry into active military service and was made worse by such service. Combat Related (CRSC eligibility) –For the purposes of CRSC, a combat-related illness/injury can be a illness or injury that results by the means of combat or training for combat. It can be caused by any of these situations: »Simulations of War (SW) (i.e. FTX, Special Forces training exercises, combat confidence course or lanes training, or other training which is used to prepare for combat); »Hazardous Service (HS) (i.e. aerial flight, parachute duty, demolition duty, experimental stress duty, and diving duty) »Instrumentalities of War (IN) (i.e. tanks, Agent Orange, grenade simulators, military planes, and other items unique to the military). »Or by actual combat (AC) - directly or indirectly (i.e. Purple Heart (PH) injuries or secondary conditions as a result of the injury). 5

6. The Adjutant General Directorate “People Always... Mission First” 6 Submitting a Successful CRSC Claim DO Submit: –A signed claim form –Copies of ALL VA rating decisions which include the letter and the narrative summaries –Copies of ALL DD214’s and DD215’s –Official documentary evidence that supports “HOW” the specific disability being claimed meets the criteria for combat-related DO NOT Submit: –Medical records that do not pertain to a combat-related disability –Electronic media, EKGs, lab slips, or dental records –Personal or “Buddy” statements

7. The Adjutant General Directorate “People Always... Mission First” 7 Documentation – What You Need to Know CRSC needs to see a specific event that caused the disability being claimed in the medical documentation you provide Unnecessary paperwork can impede the claim process All documentation must be from a military treatment facility or VA medical center CRSC does not have access to your military records We know that there are many deserving Retirees that may never find evidence to verify their CRSC claim. However, regardless of why you do not have evidence, we will be unable to award any compensation from CRSC without something official that tells us how you got your injury or what caused your illness

8. The Adjutant General Directorate “People Always... Mission First” 8 CRSC Claim Workshop CRSC Claim Pages – Retired veterans complete pages 1 – 3 only when submitting a claim –The cover page and the appendix should not be mailed into the CRSC office Each page provides a step-by-step guide to what information is needed

9. The Adjutant General Directorate “People Always... Mission First” 9 CRSC Claim Page 1: Provide personal information including service history Section I Personal Identification Section II Preliminary CRSC Criteria Section III Service History Must provide copies of all evidentiary documentation Section III Service History Must provide copies of all evidentiary documentation Name and Social Security Number

10. The Adjutant General Directorate “People Always... Mission First” 10 CRSC Claim Page 2: Request for combat-relatedness determination Description of Secondary Conditions (if applicable) Description of Secondary Conditions (if applicable) Section IV Combat-relatedness determination (Description of Injury) Section IV Combat-relatedness determination (Description of Injury) When more than 1 combat-related injury is being claimed: Photocopy this page, for each additional disability, complete, and attach with your claim form Name and Social Security Number Ambassador Coded Forms have V2AM in the top corner

11. The Adjutant General Directorate “People Always... Mission First” 11 CRSC Claim Page 3: Check the documentation list and sign the claim Section V Documentation Inventory Section VI – Certification and Waiver of Concurrent Retirement and Disability payments (CRDP) * Name and Social Security Number Signature REQUIRED! * If you are currently receiving CRDP payments and apply for CRSC, DFAS will give you whichever payment is higher.

12. The Adjutant General Directorate “People Always... Mission First” 12 Purpose of the Ambassador Program Mission Educate the Army community about the CRSC program using a high level, proactive outreach method Vision Create a network of volunteers within the Army community with a desire to educate retired veterans about the CRSC program, increasing eligible claims and knowledge of the program through outreach

13. The Adjutant General Directorate “People Always... Mission First” 13 Ambassador Roles and Duties  Spread the word – CRSC is a very important benefit that many retired veterans are not aware of and they could be eligible  Volunteer – whatever time you are able to give is all the time we need!  Help other retired veterans – understand what CRSC is through your knowledge and the tool kits provided to you. Help them through the claim process when needed Event Participation  Retiree Appreciation Days (RADS) and local events – identifying and attending these events to reach the retired veteran community  Briefings to a group of potential recipients – this could be group getting ready to retire, current retirees, veterans  Presentations to key audiences – ACAP, RSOs, VA Hospitals, Command What does it mean to be an Ambassador?

14. The Adjutant General Directorate “People Always... Mission First” You Are Representing CRSC DO: –Use the tools and resources provided to you for outreach –Speak to your local media about CRSC after contacting the program office to make them aware of the event – Contact your political representatives to educate them about CRSC and offer them information –Contact the program office if you have any concerns before elevating it to ARBA or the Congressional level –Keep it professional DO NOT: –Speak to national media – that should be through Public Affairs and the program office –Answer any question that is outside of the realm of the program or that you do not feel 100% confident answering –Lobby politicians under the auspice of being a CRSC Ambassador

15. The Adjutant General Directorate “People Always... Mission First” Manage Risk to Yourself and Others Confidentiality is Key! –When the CRSC Program Office sends along contact information for a retiree, it is solely for the purpose of assisting them with their claim –Do not share Personally Identifiable Information of a potential claimant with anyone outside of the program office unless you receive specific permission from the retiree –PII includes: Name, SSN, address, DOB, disabilities, etc. Keep your liabilities at a minimum –Never promise payment, even if they have an injury that is very straightforward and will likely be awarded (e.g., diabetes due to AO exposure)

16. The Adjutant General Directorate “People Always... Mission First” 16 CRSC Resources CRSC Website  Most updated program information  E-Toolkits for community outreach  Ambassador and Events Lists Other CRSC Ambassadors CRSC Program Office

17. The Adjutant General Directorate “People Always... Mission First” Training is Always Available Orientation calls –If you ever feel like a need a “refresher” please – join us! Regular training calls –Every other month with a focus on program changes and issues that are important to your retirees What do you need to know? –Topics are always welcome –We are here to make sure you are prepared to assist our Soldiers in the best way possible

18. The Adjutant General Directorate “People Always... Mission First” 18 Wrap-Up Keep us informed –Let us know when you do something on behalf of CRSC via Event Participation Reports and After Action Reports available in your toolkit or on the Ambassador’s Corner. –Use the V3AM coded claim form Open Discussion Ambassador POC’s Christen Wheeler Ashley Moss christen.wheeler@us.army.milashley.moss1@us.army.mil 703-325-6659 703-325-6723

19. The Adjutant General Directorate “People Always... Mission First” Backup Slide: CRSC and CRDP 19

20. The Adjutant General Directorate “People Always... Mission First” 20 Decision Between CRSC and CRDP Benefit InformationCRSCCRDP Full Concurrent ReceiptYes No – 10 yr phase in (except 100% ratings) VA Rating Starts At10%50% Federal TaxTax FreeTaxed File ClaimsMust ApplyAutomatic Qualified InjuryCombat-LinkedService Connected Subject to Uniform Services Former Spouse Protection Act (USFSPA) NoYes SBP (Survivor Benefit Plan)NoYes Available to Chapter 61 Medical and TDRL retirees with less than 20 years of service YesNo Available to TERA RetireesYes