Dark Guardian

When military retirement and VA disability intersect, the 20-year mark can be one of the most financially significant milestones of a military career. Historically, military retirees who received VA disability compensation had their military retirement reduced by the amount of their VA payment. In other words, receiving $1,500 from the VA could mean losing $1,500 from military retirement. Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) has changed that, generally allowing eligible military...

One of the most important decisions military retirees make isn't about where they will live or how they will spend retirement. It is how they will protect the people they love after they are gone. Military retired pay ends when the retiree dies. For many families, that paycheck is a significant portion of their household income. The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) exists to replace part of that lost income by providing an inflation-adjusted monthly annuity to eligible survivors. SBP is a...

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has taken a significant step toward increasing transparency by publicly reporting how much money it pays to VA-accredited attorneys and claims agents who represent veterans in disability claims. This new reporting initiative doesn't change how attorney fees work, but it does give a clearer picture of where these payments are going and how the process operates. For the first time, the VA is publishing data showing the amount of money it pays directly to...