Field notes.The pension is the gate, not the title

The Facebook groups will tell you every veteran gets the $1,500 SRRV. The visa agencies will tell you the same thing, because it closes calls.

PRA’s rule is narrower, and it is worth reading. The Courtesy military track works from two documents: your DD-214 with an honorable discharge, and proof of a lifetime pension of at least $1,000 per month that you are currently receiving. DFAS retired pay counts. VA disability compensation counts. A retirement letter for a pension that starts at 60 does not count yet, no matter what the title on your paperwork says.

It cuts both ways

That test surprises people in both directions. A veteran who separated at eight years and draws $1,000 or more in VA disability compensation may fit Courtesy at the $1,500 deposit level, despite never having been on the retired rolls. A 20-year Guard retiree whose pension does not start until 60 does not fit until the payments begin, retirement letter in hand or not.

Below the gate, SRRV Classic still works, and honestly. Lifetime income of $800 per month single or $1,000 with dependents supports the Classic pensioner deposits of $15,000 at 50 and older or $25,000 at 40 to 49.

Why this is worth money

The spread between routes runs up to $48,500 in deposit difference, and the $1,500 PRA processing fee is non-refundable if an application is discontinued. Guessing wrong is not a rounding error. It deserves better than a comment-section answer.

We screen your case against the current rules before you commit a dollar, and if Classic is your honest fit, we will tell you that plainly, with the numbers beside it. PRA determines qualification case by case, on the documents.