The final deadline to claim stop loss pay is quickly approaching - again.

In late December the original Oct. 21 deadline for eligible service members and their beneficiaries to apply for Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay (RSLSP) was extended to March 4, 2011.

RSLSP was established to compensate for the hardships military members encountered when their service was involuntarily extended under Stop Loss Authority between Sept. 11, 2001, and Sept. 30, 2009. Eligible members or their beneficiaries may 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.

When RSLSP began on Oct. 21, 2009, the services estimated 145,000 service members, veterans and beneficiaries were eligible for this benefit. The Department of Defense reported last week that only 77,000 claims have been paid so far.

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