DoD reminds 'Stop-Loss' troops to submit claims

By Ian GrahamJuly 29, 2010

WASHINGTON, (July 29, 2010) -- The Department of Defense wants to ensure that anyone who was under "Stop Loss" has an opportunity to apply for a stipend by the deadline of Oct. 21.

An estimated 145,000 servicemembers are eligible for Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay, a stipend of $500 for each full or partial month served in stop-loss status.

Lernes J. Hebert, acting director, Officer & Enlisted Personnel Management for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Personnel and Readiness, said on a DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable, July 28, that tens of thousands of applications have been processed, but the department is far from having received claims from every servicemember. As a result, he said, there's an effort to remind as many servicemembers as possible so they can submit a claim for stop loss pay by the deadline.

One concern the department has is that servicemembers are assuming they're ineligible or don't want to spend time at their computer filling out paperwork for what may amount to no return at all. But Hebert said the turnaround is quick and the form takes very little time - the payoff, on the other hand, could be very significant.

"If there's any question if you're eligible - go ahead and apply," he said. "Most of the individuals who have gone through the process say it takes about a half hour to complete, the average pay out is between $3,000 and $4,000, so that's a pretty good return on your investment."

All servicemembers, veterans and beneficiaries of servicemembers whose service was involuntarily extended under Stop Loss between Sept. 11, 2001, and Sept. 30, 2009, are eligible for the special pay to include the extension bonus provision.

"This is to get the word out, so that nobody is left wondering come October 22nd," Hebert said. "It's a full-court press."

Maj. Roy Whitley, the Army's project manager for Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay, also participated in the roundtable. Whitley said the Army has processed about 44,000 claims, but feels the pressure of knowing more troops are out there who don't know to apply.

He added that applications stay on the table, and as long as the submission is filed, it's open and available. Without that application on hand, though, the Army can't do anything for the Soldier, Whitley said.

"We can always pay you -- we have plenty of time to look at claims, we just need to get you in," he said.

Hebert said the best resource is the Defense Department's stop-loss website, http://www.defense.gov/stoploss. The site has all the information a servicemember needs to apply, as well as the application itself.

Hebert stressed that the servicemember who may not be certain about eligibility just may qualify, despite his or her memory or knowledge of the situation.

"Whether you think you're eligible or not, submit the application," Hebert said.

(Ian Graham writes for the Defense Media Activity, Emerging Media.)

Related Links:

Retroactive Stop Loss Pay information website