The government recently extended the deadline for eligible Soldiers, veterans, and their beneficiaries for fallen Soldiers to apply for Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay. The original October 21st, 2010 deadline has been extended to December 3rd, 2010. Thanks to Ryan over at The Military Wallet for the heads up.
On October 21st, 2009, the United States Army began paying Soldiers for each month that they were kept on active duty under the old stop loss program. The stop loss program kept Soldiers on active duty beyond their contracted separation or voluntary retirement date in order to continue their service involuntarily with their unit who was or about to deploy to a combat zone. While the contractual clause was legitimate and a long standing practice in the Army before the Global War on Terrorism, the policy met with a lot of backlash as the war dragged on.
Who Is Eligible For Stop Loss Payments
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.
Many Who Are Eligible Have Not Applied For Payment
The Army estimates that approximately 140,000 current and former Soldiers may be eligible for stop loss payments, but very few Soldiers have applied to receive the pay. The government fears that many people do not realize that they qualify for the benefit, especialy those who have left the service or who have since been killed either on active duty or since leaving service. Soldiers, retirees, veterans, or their survivors can submit claims for the payment electronically at https://www.stoplosspay.army.mil.
There is no guarantee that the payment will be extended again. So, if you or your loved one qualifies, it is in their best interest to apply for the payment as soon as possible before the extension deadline, December 3rd, 2010, passes again. For more information, visit http://www.defense.gov/stoploss.
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Thanks for the shoutout, Hank. It’s also important to note this is military wide, not just the Army (though I think it mostly applies to the Army because most branches ended forced Stop Loss before the Army did).
Pass this info along to any vets or active military members this might apply to!
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