Stop Loss Pay Deadline Extended AGAIN

Yesterday Congress once again extended the Stop Loss Special Pay deadline to March 4, 2011.

Stars & Stripes reported that the Pentagon's Defense Finance and Accounting Service has only received claims from 71,000 eligible veterans, compared to nearly 145,000 who are eligible to receive the special benefit.

AMVETS leaders continue to urge all potentially eligible veterans who served after 9/11 to apply for the benefit, which is worth $500 for each month a service member was extended beyond his or her original contract under the controversial Stop Loss program.

This is the fourth time that the deadline has been extended and the Pentagon estimates that the average benefit for eligible troops is about $3,500.

As of the time this story was published, the Pentagon had removed its Special Stop Loss Pay Web site, www.defense.gov/stoploss. In the interim, the Pentagon's Office of Reserve Affairs offers all the pertinent contact information to apply for the benefit by Clicking Here.

American Veteran will continue to follow this story as it develops into the new year.