Stop Loss special pay deadline nears

Time is running out for current and former Airmen previously affected by Stop Loss to apply for retroactive special pay as the Oct. 21 deadline approaches.

Airmen eligible include active, retired and former members, as well as Reserve component members who served on active duty while their enlistment or period of obligated service was involuntarily extended, or those people whose eligibility for separation or retirement was suspended as a result of Stop Loss.

Legally designated beneficiaries for Airmen affected may also apply.
Those found to be eligible are entitled to receive $500 in retroactive special pay for each month they were affected by Stop Loss. Those who accepted a selective re-enlistment bonus subsequent to being affected by Stop Loss are not eligible for the special pay.

Air Force officials used Stop Loss for Operation Enduring Freedom from Oct. 2, 2001, through Jan. 31, 2003, and Operation Iraqi Freedom from May 2 through Dec. 31, 2003. Individuals who were deployed during either operation may be eligible beyond the inclusive dates, depending on their Air Force specialty and deployment return date.

More than 3,500 claims by Airmen have been approved for retroactive Stop Loss special pay since officials here began accepting claims in September 2009.
To file a claim, members or legally designated beneficiaries may download a Stop Loss claim application at www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/stoploss.

Applicants who were serving in the Reserve or guard at the time of Stop Loss may apply by visiting the Air Reserve Personnel Center Web site at  https://arpc.afrc.af.mil/vPC-GR.

For more information on program eligibility and claim instructions, call the Total Force Service Center at 800-525-0102.