Time running out for veterans, troops to claim “stop loss” pay

Military service members, veterans and beneficiaries of service members whose service was involuntarily extended under the Stop Loss order between Sept. 11, 2001 and Sept. 30, 2009, are eligible for $500 payments for each month served in “stop loss” status.

U.S. Army soldiers wait to board a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, on Nov. 17, 2008. DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Erik Gudmundson, U.S. Air Force.

Those eligible have until Oct. 21 to submit an application for the amount they are owed.

But many eligible current and retired service members haven’t claimed the back pay. According to this Washington Post article, $324 million has been unclaimed so far out of the $534 million Congress allocated for the program.

The Department of Defense has mailed letters to those who are eligible, but many veterans have ignored the letters, falsely believing that it’s a scam, a Pentagon official told the Washington Post.

 Filing a claim is easy. All you have to do is fill out and mail this two-page form, or follow the instructions for completing the form online. For additional information, visit the DoD Stop Loss Website.