Effective October 21st, 2009, the Army began paying Soldiers for each month that they were kept on active duty under the stop loss program. The stop loss program keeps Soldiers on active duty beyond their contracted separation or voluntary retirement date. Soldiers should not wait to claim their benefits. Claims must be filed by Oct. 21, 2010 when the program expires.
Payments are retroactive to Sept. 11, 2001, and cover involuntary service performed through Sept. 30, 2009. The compensation will be paid in a lump sum amount for the months served in stop-loss status. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) will determine if a Soldier qualifies for a applicable tax exclusion if the pay was earned in a combat zone.
Army personnel officials estimate that nearly 140,000 current and former soldiers may be eligible. But, as of this month, only about 10% of the eligible Soldiers have filed for the benefits. Soldiers, retirees, veterans, or their survivors can submit claims electronically at, https://www.stoplosspay.army.mil.
Soldiers and former soldiers qualify for retroactive stop-loss pay if they were retained on active duty beyond a contractual expiration term of service (ETS) date or retirement date, or in the case of reservists, their contractual ETS in the Selected Reserve.
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