-Defense Department paying additional $500 for each month served under stop loss -

Washington, DC – U.S. Rep John Hall (D-Dover) announced today that special payments are now available to current and former service members who have had enlistments involuntarily extended since September 11th, 2001. Service members can now receive $500 for every month they were held under stop loss orders between September 11, 2001 and September 30, 2009. The initiative was established by legislation Hall voted for and that Congress passed into law earlier this year. Congressman Hall is working to have the payments extended for service through 2011.

"The service members that are eligible for these payments have quite literally gone above and beyond the call of duty, serving much longer than they originally signed up for," Congressman Hall said. "We've asked everything from these heroes and it is impossible to put a price on the burdens extended deployments placed on them and their families. I hope this additional compensation will show our service members that our country is grateful for the additional sacrifices they made."

Stop loss policies have been used to maintain deployment levels in Iraq and Afghanistan by involuntarily extending the enlistments of service members beyond the end of the term of service date in their contracts. More than 185,000 service members have been held under stop loss orders since 2001. This includes more than 131,000 soldiers, who on average will receive $4,000 in compensation. Approximately 5,565 Navy personnel were also held under stop loss orders.

Special payment applications must be submitted to the respective services no later than Oct. 21, 2010. Service members must provide documented proof they were stop lossed with their claim.  Family members of deceased service members may also apply for payments. Congressman Hall is encouraging those with questions about the application process to call his Goshen office at (845) 291-4100.

For specific information about how service members from each branch of the military can apply for payments, please visit the following websites:

Army: https://www.stoplosspay.army.mil
Navy: send email to: NXAG_N132C@navy.mil
Marine Corps: https://www.manpower.usmc.mil/stoploss
Air Force: http://www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/stoploss

The Department of Defense has set a goal to cut the number of service members stop lossed by 50 percent by June 2010, and to eliminate the regular use of stop loss by March 2011. The Army Reserve and Army National Guard began mobilizing units without employing stop loss beginning in August and September 2009, respectively.  The active duty Army will deploy its first unit without stop loss by January 2010. Consistent with the Department of Defense's goal to have stop loss eliminated by March 2011, Congressman Hall has been pushing to have stop loss payments extended for service through 2011.

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