Last summer, Congress passed legislation to compensate servicemembers who were stop-lossed after September 11, 2001. IAVA had been fighting for this for over a year, and we were happy to see it pass. Now, those payments have finally become available.
As of this past week, all branches of service are taking applications, and awarding payments of up to $500 per month served under stop-loss orders.
Click here to watch a quick video update and find out how you can apply for your back pay. [1]
Survivors of servicemembers who were killed in combat or died after their service will also be entitled to compensation. The window to apply ends on October 21st, 2010.
IAVA will continue to push the Department of Defense to make this process easier, but we'll need your help. Visit our website, stay involved, and encourage your friends [2] to join IAVA and be a part of the new veterans movement at www.CommunityofVeterans.org [3].
Tom Tarantino, an Iraq veteran, serves as IAVA's Legislative Associate in Washington, D.C.
Links:
[1] http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=5wW0nFLDxPxr5zNgrdC2gh3rg0LgVG7X
[2] http://www.iava.org/membership
[3] http://www.CommunityofVeterans.org