Extended Service Could Mean More Pay For Military Members

By DANIEL WOOLFOLK

FORT DRUM— Any military service member whose term was extended involuntarily between Sept. 11, 2001, and Sept. 30, 2009, is eligible to receive $500 for each month served.

Retroactive stop-loss special pay was included in the 2009 War Supplemental Appropriations Act. The deadline for filing for the benefit is Oct. 21.

"There is a short time left to apply," St. Lawrence County Veterans Service Director Patrick R. Rourk said in an e-mail. "It is a heck of a benefit for the people who are eligible."

In a letter earlier this month, the legislation's sponsor, Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, D-N.J., urged Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to inform eligible service members about the benefit.

Only 25,000 of the 145,000 people eligible for the pay had actually been paid, he wrote.

"This compensation is an important step in giving these service members the recognition and gratitude they deserve for their extraordinary service," he wrote.

Eligible service members and veterans can download the Claim for Retroactive Stop Loss Payment on the Department of Defense website.

The site has instructions to fill out the form and links to specific branches' stop-loss pay websites.

One concern voiced by Lernes J. Hebert, acting director of officer and enlisted personnel management, is that people will assume they are not eligible and not apply.

"If there's any question if you're eligible, go ahead and apply," he told service members during a July 28 discussion. "Most of the individuals who have gone through the process say it takes about a half hour to complete."

However, some service members are not eligible, according to the Department of Defense. Those include members who received a bonus after re-enlisting or voluntarily extended their service.

The average payoff for the benefit is $3,700.

ON THE NET

Defense Department: www.defense.gov/stoploss