Posted on Feb 27, 2014
Can I join the Army Reserves or National Guard if I am currently collecting compensation from the VA?
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I have been collecting disability compensation from the VA since October 2012 and I am also using my Post 9/11 GI Bill to attend college. I really miss the camaraderie and brotherhood I felt while in the military. I really want to join the Army reserves or the National Guard so I can still attend college but be part of the military again. Would I have to cancel all of my disability compensation? Is that even possible? Some one help me out. Thanks.
Prior Service
Disability
VA Claim
Army Reserve
Army National Guard
Posted 12 y ago
Responses: 277
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What are your disability levels and for what? It seems a lot of people are beating around the bush
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MG (Join to see)
The limitation on collecting VA disability and NG/ Reserve pay is by the day. For instance, if you go to your weekend Battle Assembly, you earn 4 days pay. The VA will reduce your VA payment by those 4 days. You can collect the VA payment for the balance of the month when you are not on duty. You can collect both if you are ove 50% I think. Talk to your VA counselor before you decide on offset.
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SSG Robert White
SPC Ryan Dostie-Osenko - You can't collect both. What the SGT is referring to is CRDP or concurrent receipt. This is only for retirement. You have to have a 50% disability rating. When serving you will be notified after about a year that you will have to forfeit so many days of compensation. What you need to do is check with the recruiter. The rules are constantly changing. They many not allow it if your percentage of compensation is too high. Do not rely on the opinions of people here! Check with a recruiter to get the most current information and not a forum such as this where people only cite their opinions. There is an old saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!" Best of luck.
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SPC Ryan Dostie-Osenko
Yeah, that's what I was saying in my comment. You can't collect both, but you can serve while having disability. So for me, I did three years of National Guard "for free," in that j never got paid because I was receiving disability pay. SSG Robert White -
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SSG Robert White
SPC Ryan Dostie-Osenko - You should have been paid. They should only take away from your VA compensation every couple of years. You should have gotten your No Go pay. Remember, your AT is federal time and not state time. Check with DFAS and find out why you haven't been paid.
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I was serving in the California National Guard after I EAS'd from the Marine Corps, I was 50% Disabled and receiving Financial Compensation while in the Guard. How it works is they put you on a Medical Profile which means you can't get Promoted or Deploy. However you will still be committed to doing your 2 week and 1 weekend a month Duty.
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Cpl Lorenzo Goode
That sucks because promotion means more. Who wants to be the same rank forever that means you are putting nothing into retirement unless you use mutual funds, stocks and bonds
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SSG Robert White
You need to check with a Reserve Recruiter, all the answers here are people's opinions and not the current regulations. Seek out a professional and don't seek answers in this forum, you will be greatly disappointed. There is an old saying "An ounce of prevention with worth a pound of cure"!
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I was in the Reserves at the time of 9/11/2001 & working on the 73rd floor of #2 World Trade Center for Morgan Stanley. After escaping unharmed, I returned to help others & was in the lobby when the 1st building fell. A fireman saved me & I helped check bodies for survivors but couldn't breathe. After stepping out of the lobby, a famous photographer took my photo (4th to the last photo of his life) & then the next building fell killing the photographer, the fireman, & buried me.
I was deemed disabled for life by EVERY government organization yet, I was recalled to the Army in 2005 & "accidentally" sent to Iraq as a Captain in Special Ops. Turned out to be the deadliest year of Iraq & the worst area (Diyala Province). Trying to save friends after they hit an IED on 26 JAN 2007, I was injured but saved 3 out of 4. Then the Army told me that I was being medically discharged.
So, the point is, anything is possible! Even though I was 100% disabled by Social Security, NY State Workers Comp, Long Term Disablity insurance & it would have been illegal for me to be on active duty & I fought it, they sent me anyhow. This forces me to lose my LTD insurance money & $1.25 million from the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. The commander gave me the choice of resigning my commission (not an honorable discharge) or to go to Iraq & lose all the money.
I was deemed disabled for life by EVERY government organization yet, I was recalled to the Army in 2005 & "accidentally" sent to Iraq as a Captain in Special Ops. Turned out to be the deadliest year of Iraq & the worst area (Diyala Province). Trying to save friends after they hit an IED on 26 JAN 2007, I was injured but saved 3 out of 4. Then the Army told me that I was being medically discharged.
So, the point is, anything is possible! Even though I was 100% disabled by Social Security, NY State Workers Comp, Long Term Disablity insurance & it would have been illegal for me to be on active duty & I fought it, they sent me anyhow. This forces me to lose my LTD insurance money & $1.25 million from the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. The commander gave me the choice of resigning my commission (not an honorable discharge) or to go to Iraq & lose all the money.
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Cpl Lorenzo Goode
Thank you for answering your own personal call after having a front seat to 9/11. I am glad you shared your story. Keep sharing it but remember to always relate your story to you. Just as a vietnam vet will say their war was real and Iraq isn't a real war. I returned my purple heart because I felt I didn't deserve it. In return I received a combat action ribbon. That was the worst time in my units history in the past 20 yrs and I survived. I feel my friends who didn't deserved it more than me. They got a memorial service and I got sent home to a mom in the hospital, a pregnant wife, and a ribbon on my chest. That was in 2003 to me that was the deadliest yr in Iraq regardless of what the news says or anybody else. I lost numerous friends and you would think a legal clerk working in JAG would never have to go thru that but I did.
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SSG Robert White
Being 100% by SSDI isn't the same as being 100% by DVA. Ask any national service officer and they can explain the difference. If you ask a post service officer, they know about as much as you do about VA claims.
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SSG Robert White
You should be so lucky. Your being medically retired. You should have been kicked out of the Reserves. Your injuries due to the collapse of the twin towers doesn't qualify your for VA compensation. Since now your medically qualified and probably in the Army Wounded Warrior Program, you have benefits and compensation you wouldn't otherwise be entitled to.
Another point with SSDI, they only do 100% where as the VA will do 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 percent's and Unemployability. Your also entitled to CRSC which for an officer pay's more than CRDP (concurrent receipt). I'll also bet you did your last DD214 wrong. You should have done a DA form 1506 to add up all your AD. This would helped you with your retirement. You should have been getting DD220's for every time you went on AD but didn't qualify for a DD214.
You need to make a choice, get either CRSC or CRDP or the other compensation you feel your missing out on. Personally, I would take the Medical Retirement and either the CRSC/CRDP. You'd make out better in the long run.
Another point with SSDI, they only do 100% where as the VA will do 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 percent's and Unemployability. Your also entitled to CRSC which for an officer pay's more than CRDP (concurrent receipt). I'll also bet you did your last DD214 wrong. You should have done a DA form 1506 to add up all your AD. This would helped you with your retirement. You should have been getting DD220's for every time you went on AD but didn't qualify for a DD214.
You need to make a choice, get either CRSC or CRDP or the other compensation you feel your missing out on. Personally, I would take the Medical Retirement and either the CRSC/CRDP. You'd make out better in the long run.
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If you can go to school and guard then I'd think your not disabled because you have the ability to work.
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A1C Allen Forbes
I guess it depends on disability rating. 100 percent disabled means that you don't have the ability to work. If you can attend 40 hours of school or work so many hours then you'd lose so disability pension or check would be reduced.
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LTC Stephen B.
You can have a 100% disability rating and still be functional. Totally and Permanently disabled means you don't have the ability to work. VA 100% disability rating is not the same as Totally and Permanently disabled. Confusing because English isn't the government's strong suit.
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SSG Robert White
A1C Allen Forbes - if you 100% you can work. This is the lie that the barracks lawyers keep on telling. The only 1005 is for a mental illness. Those individuals can't work. With IU, you can but make up to $12,331 a year, but it has to be marginal employment and it can't be more than a year straight. Also you can't quit your full time job and do it part time. That is still gainful employment. Failure to follow these rules will land you in federal court. You'll have to pay back all the monies that put you at 100% IU. So if your 60% for one issue and they are paying you at 100% (about $2900 vs $1000, then you'll have to pay back the $1900 for every month you defrauded the Government. Ltc Beller, you really don't know what your talking about. I've worked for the BVA and also been a service officer outside the VA (state of Virginia, State of Maryland and the American Legion) for 11 years. Please don't cite an opinion. Also, even if the VA rates you at 100% T&P, if you haven't had the rating for 20 years, you can be reduced if you keep on opening up your claim to get SC for anything. Once your 100%, unless your going to get a 100% rating for something and you have another rating of 60% or greater, then you can get SMC-S. Otherwise by reopening your claim, you run the risk of being reduced.
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Great to hear, who better to hear it from then a person who is actually in the process pool/doing it and a CW4 SME.. Thank you...
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I don't know about rejoining but you are allowed to collect up to 70 % VA disability and continue to drill for pay but they willis your VA disability the following year's the amount of days u drilled
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It was a great answer on here am about reserving va pay for only 28 days and your reserve pay for the drill weekend and your reserve pay would be more than the 2 days you missed but keep in mind when you do your 2 weeks in the summer this is when it is worthless being in the reserves and on va benefits . I am talking from experience .
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