There's a move to extend the deadline for another year!
What happens on the 21st of October, that's the day that soldiers who served in OIF and OEF and were backdoor drafted, i.e. 'Stop Lossed', end their chances to get compensated up to $500 a month for each month extra they served as Active Duty Soldiers in especially either occupation theater instead of the ready reserve those who serve their initial tours and don't re-up for another are still covered under, no service but can be called back by the military.
There have been a few posts about this, not much mainstream reporting as to trying to get the message out to the now veterans who were 'Stop Lossed', a recent one by DaNang65 points out one of the problems of some of these veterans not even knowing they qualify or that there even is a program set up to compensate for that extra duty and how to go about getting that compensation. Troubled times in a troubled economy have many without ability to afford what the rest take for granite as long as they have the ability, access to news let alone programs that come online from the government and others.
Richard Allen Smith, a veteran of these times and a 'Stop Lossed' veteran has this post up over at the Vet Voice blog site: Lawmaker Wants to Extend Stop-Loss Payment Deadline
Good for Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH):
A lawmaker who helped create the $500 a month retroactive stop-loss allowance is now trying to extend an Oct. 21 deadline for service members and veterans to apply for the benefit.
Rep. Betty Sutton, D-Ohio, the original House sponsor of legislation creating the payment for people whose service was involuntarily extended by military orders, is trying to get a deadline extension included in a federal spending bill that Congress expects to pass by the end of the week, according to congressional aides.
Sutton wants the deadline extended for another year. {read rest}
Richard has a few thoughts on this after the above, reason I used his post and not the link to the article he's pointed out.
The many posts, especially the last few weeks, were trying to get the attention of either these soldiers who might not know about this or someone who knew a soldier but weren't sure if they knew to let them know and maybe even help them out. Now with this Everyone can get onboard, even if you don't know any veterans of either these two occupations or the past decade and were 'Stop Lossed', you can get a hold of your Congress Critters, either house, and Demand they get behind Rep. Betty Sutton's attempts to extend for another year the deadline these soldiers have to apply for their deserved compensation. You can also help the rest of us, in a number of ways, find these soldiers, especially the ones who are now homeless or either by themselves or with families are going through the tough times of this economy and are loosing more and more ability to stay in the loop of news that could affect them personally, like this.
September 15, 2010 - President Obama encourages active duty troops and veterans whose service in Iraq or Afghanistan was involuntarily extended or retirement was suspended due to ‘stop loss’ to apply for the special retroactive pay to which they are entitled.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2010 – President Barack Obama signed legislation yesterday extending the Retroactive Stop-Loss Special Pay deadline through December 3, DOD officials said today.
Officials estimate about 80,000 eligible service members, veterans and beneficiaries have yet to apply for the special stop-loss pay.
"It's important that all those eligible for this benefit take the opportunity to apply for what they've earned," said Lernes Hebert, the Defense Department’s acting director of officer and enlisted personnel management. "We encourage those eligible to apply as soon as possible, to avoid the last-minute rush, which can increase processing time.”
The program was due to run out Oct. 21, 2010. The extension is part of the continuing resolution that funds federal government operations. Congress has not yet passed authorization or appropriations bills for fiscal 2011.
The program affects military members whose service was involuntarily extended under stop-loss between Sept. 11, 2001, and Sept. 30, 2009. Eligible members or their beneficiaries are required to submit a claim to their respective military service in order to receive the benefit of $500 for each full or partial month served in a stop-loss status. The original deadline for claims was Oct. 21, 2010. {read rest}
Rep Sutton managed to get at least this short extension, she was trying for a full year, so there's work to do when Congress comes back after the elections to help these soldiers and survivors of.
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