BLOG: Military Bonus Deadline Approaches
86,000 military service members, veterans and beneficiaries are owed money by the government and if they don't file a claim for it by next week they'll lose the chance!
The funds are part of a stop-loss bonus that was approved by Congress during the height of the war in Iraq. Military members whose service was involuntarily extended or whose retirement was suspended between Sept. 11, 2001, and Sept. 30, 2009, are entitled to a retroactive payment of $500 for each month of extension. The average amount owed is $4,000 per person.
"You served with honor. You did your duty. And when your country called on you again, you did your duty again. Now, it's time to collect the special pay that you deserve," President Barack Obama said in a public service announcement released by the White House.
According to the Defense Department only $219 million of the $534 million appropriated for the bonus program has been disbursed. The application deadline is Oct. 21.
Information on the special pay and links to the application are available at http://www.defense.gov/stoploss
