VA Form 21-8951-2
Annual Drill Pay Waiver (Short Form)
Who fills it
reservist
Journey phase
Keeping Your Award Current
Estimated time
10-15 minutes.
When to file
By the deadline printed on the form VA sends (typically January-March of each year).
VA sent you this annual short form to renew your drill pay waiver election from the prior year.
Gather before you start
—Form VA mailed you (pre-printed with your information)
—Any changes to drill schedule or pay from prior year
Section I - Identification (pre-printed)
Blocks 1-4Name, SSN, VA File Number (pre-printed)PII
Pre-printed by VA. Verify accuracy. If anything has changed (address, unit), note it and file the full 21-8951 instead.
Example
(pre-printed; verify)
Common mistakes
- Not verifying pre-printed information - a wrong VA File Number means the waiver goes to the wrong file.
Section II - Annual Waiver Election
Block 5Confirm or change your waiver election for this year
Check the appropriate box: (A) Same election as last year (most common), OR (B) Changed election - waiving VA comp instead of drill pay (rare; usually only when military activation generates higher pay than VA comp). If changing, file the full 21-8951 instead.
Example
e.g., Same election as prior year - waiving drill pay, retaining VA compensation.
Common mistakes
- Not returning the form - VA may treat non-response as an election to receive military pay (waiving VA comp).
- Returning same election when situation changed significantly (e.g., major ADOS activation) - use full 21-8951 for changes.
Authority
38 CFR 3.700 - Election between VA compensation and military drill/training pay.
Section III - Certification
Blocks 6-7Veteran signature and datePII
Sign and return by the deadline.
Example
(signature/date)
Common mistakes
- Missing the deadline - VA may process an unwanted waiver of VA compensation.
Statutory & regulatory authority
38 CFR 3.700 - Election between VA compensation and military drill/training pay.
38 USC 5304 - VA compensation and military drill/training pay for the same period cannot both be received; one must be waived.