SOURCE: www.lautenberg.senate.gov
Senator Concerned Thousands Of Troops Are Not Aware Of Eligibility For Bonus
Washington, D.C. . . . U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) has called on the Department of Defense to outline its efforts to reach out the the 145,000 service members, veterans and beneficiaries affected by the military’s stop loss policy who are entitled to compensation. With only months until the deadline expires for individuals to apply for retroactive stop loss payments, only 25,000 of those individuals entitled to this pay have received it. Stop loss is a policy that involuntarily extends military service beyond an enlistment contract.
In a letter to Secretary of Defense, Robert Gate, Lautenberg requested specific information on the Department’s efforts to reach the men and women impacted by the stop loss policy since 2001 to make sure “every available outlet” is used to locate these individuals and inform them of their eligibility.
n 2008, Senator Lautenberg wrote legislation to provide compensation to the brave men and women affected by the stop loss policy since 2001. In June of 2009, President Obama signed into law a bill that included $534.4 million to pay retroactive bonuses for troops affected by the stop loss policy.