OK, this is it – really. The government has, for the second time, postponed the deadline for service members and veterans to get their stop-loss pay. The new deadline of March 18 will be final, though, because after that the law prohibits stop-loss pay.

So if your active duty service was involuntarily extended between Sept. 11, 2001, and Sept. 30, 2009, you’re entitled to $500 for every full or partial month you served on stop-loss status. You earned it, so claim it!

Congress allocated $534.4 million in 2009 to pay stop-loss claims, but so far only about $219 million has been paid.

To submit a claim, click here.