DoD to troops: Tell buddies about stop-loss pay

[unhappycamper]

DoD to troops: Tell buddies about stop-loss pay
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Aug 6, 2010 13:53:10 EDT

With an Oct. 21 deadline approaching to apply for a $500 monthly stop-loss allowance, the Defense Department appears to have exhausted most conventional means of trying to contact eligible veterans and is now asking current service members to get involved by calling any buddies who may be eligible.

“We are asking military members to tell a friend … if they know people who separated or retired and may be eligible for this benefit, remind them to submit a claim before the deadline,” Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said.

Stop-loss allowance applies to those whose separation or retirement was involuntarily extended between Sept. 11, 2001 and Sept. 30, 2009. About 145,000 people are believed to be eligible but only about 30,000 have applied for the retroactive payments.

The average payment is about $3,700, enough that military officials believe eligible veterans would jump at the chance to get the payment if only they knew about the opportunity.

The low application rate has prompted concerns from key lawmakers, including Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., one of the chief sponsors of the stop-loss allowance legislation. On Wednesday, Lautenberg asked the Defense Department to explain what efforts have been made to contact eligible veterans.