It sounds like the administration is starting the process of withdrawing troops from Afghanistan this summer, but when that process ends is anyone's guess.
The U.S., its allies and the Afghanistan government have agreed to end combat operations in 2014, but Defense Secretary Robert Gates said today that a residual force may stay beyond that date to help train Afghan forces.
"Obviously it would be a small fraction of the presence that we have today, but I think we're willing to do that," Gates told U.S. troops during a surprise visit to Bagram air field. "My sense is, they (Afghan officials) are interested in having us do that."
It should be noted that the U.S. still has troops in Europe and Japan, more than six decades after the end of World War II.
Gates made the trip so that he can assess his recommendation of how many troops to pull out of Afghanistan starting in July, a Pentagon statement said.
When President Obama announced the deployment of 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan in December of 2009, he also said he would begin the process of withdrawal in July 2011.
That moment is fast approaching.
In his remarks at Bagram, Gates encouraged the troops.
"I know you've had a tough winter, and it's going to be a tougher spring and summer, but you've made a lot of headway," Gates said. "I think you've proven, with your Afghan partners, that this thing is going to work and that we'll be able to prevail."
From USAToday
Monday, March 7, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
The demobilization station
Arrival at your demobilization station may bring mixed emotions. On the one hand you are very excited about going home to see loved ones yet on the other hand you may be a little curious as to the changes made in everyone's life as well as the changes that you have made during your deployment. I will never forget the words of another survive member, SGT Lakesha S. McNeil from Mississippi, prior to departing for my first deployment. She indicated that no mater who you are, you will certainly be affected by your combat deployment experience. If I ever run into SGT McNeil in the future, I will let her know that she was right.
Upon my arrival at Ft McCoy Wisconsin, my demobilization station, I was eager to get my demobilization process underway. Service members returning from a combat deployment must undergo thorough records checks and medical evaluations to ensure, not only their records are in order but their mind and body are well and prepared to be reintroduced to civilian life.
I found this process to be very well organized and easily navigable. The process of demobilization consist of several stations. In my case, I was considered and Individual Redeployer. That meant that I did not have to navigate the demobilization process with a large unit. Instead, I was able to just slide in where I could get in! Expecting to spend as much as a week or more at the demobilization station, I spent less then 3 days. I have heard of horror stories of service members spending weeks at their respective demobilization stations. Often times the reason is being considered a "medical holdover". Among the stations that each service member must process and clear consist of the following.
1. Audiology
2. Record Review
3. Chaplain
4. Legal
5. Dental
6. Retention
7. Medical
8. LODs
9. ACAP
10. Finance
11. DD214
12. ID Card
13. QA Survey
14. Final SRC Checkout
No matter how much preparation one does in preparing to deploy, I am amazed how important things get missed. For example as I processed through the ID Card station, I learned that I was never coded as someone serving on "Contingency Operations" duty. In a nut shell, that meant that if someone in the future had questioned if I had ever served in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, much less served in Kuwait, they could have denied certain benefits that are only available to those who serve under that coding. They certainly would have required me to jump through more hoops to prove I was eligible for certain benefits.
I have some very important advice for those National Guard and Reservist out there. If you have built up Leave days, it is imperative that you depart theater in enough time so that you do not lose those days. Unless you fall into a certain category such as having served in Iraq or Afghanistan with the hopes of taking advantage of the Post Mobilization Respite Absence or PMRA.
PMRA is a program designed to offer benefits to those service members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan without taking their required time off with the family. If for example a Reservist or National Guard service member serves two consecutive tours in those countries, they would be offered additional non-chargeable leave days. They would not lose those days even if they did not have available days to take them. Instead what would happen is that upon reaching their demobilization station, their orders would be extended giving them the opportunity to take their leave without the loss of their benefits and entitlements.
If you arrive at your demobilization station with more leave days then you have left on your orders, you could end up losing certain benefits that you would not have lost if you had enough days on your orders to cover those days. The best way to illustrate my point is to consider the following. Service Member "A" departs Kuwait with 10 days left on his orders but has 30 days of leave built up. Upon arriving at the demobilization station, he would be able to use up to 10 days of transitional leave and be required to sell back the remaining 20 days.
Why is that important you might ask? Well when Service Member "A" sells back his 20 leave days, he will lose his "day for day" credit for his retirement calculation thus cause a possible reduction in retirement benefits. Additionally he will lose his housing allowance which can be calculated at over $2,000 per month for some service members.
Now consider Service Member "B". She departs Qatar with 35 days left on her order but has 30 days of chargeable leave. Upon arrival at her demobilization station, she would be able to take her entire 30 days of leave plus earn her day for day credit for retirement purposes. In addition she would also continue receiving her housing allowance. Service Member "B" is a much happier and wealthier service member.
However, you can avoid the paroles of Service Member "A" by just ensuring you depart theater with enough time to utilize all of your earned chargeable leave. There are exceptions to this such as obtaining a letter from an O6 in your chain of command. However, you must plan ahead. Remember YOU are the only one that is responsible for your career!
It can not be stressed too much, it is very important that you keep accurate records of your file and ensure your file is correct and updated! Without over exaggerating, I have gone through no less then 4 Soldier Readiness Processes or SRPs prior to mobilization in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. However, during my demobilization phase after my two years of active duty, it was discovered that my records were not coded correctly and not giving me credit for serving in contingency operations. So in fact there was not a record of me serving in a war zone. How could this happen you might ask? Well I will respond by saying what the fine young woman told me as I past through her "ID Card" section; "If it is not THEIR records, no one cares." In other words, you are the best custodian of your career and records. No one else will put as much time and effort into ensuring your files are up to date as you!
Upon my arrival at Ft McCoy Wisconsin, my demobilization station, I was eager to get my demobilization process underway. Service members returning from a combat deployment must undergo thorough records checks and medical evaluations to ensure, not only their records are in order but their mind and body are well and prepared to be reintroduced to civilian life.
I found this process to be very well organized and easily navigable. The process of demobilization consist of several stations. In my case, I was considered and Individual Redeployer. That meant that I did not have to navigate the demobilization process with a large unit. Instead, I was able to just slide in where I could get in! Expecting to spend as much as a week or more at the demobilization station, I spent less then 3 days. I have heard of horror stories of service members spending weeks at their respective demobilization stations. Often times the reason is being considered a "medical holdover". Among the stations that each service member must process and clear consist of the following.
1. Audiology
2. Record Review
3. Chaplain
4. Legal
5. Dental
6. Retention
7. Medical
8. LODs
9. ACAP
10. Finance
11. DD214
12. ID Card
13. QA Survey
14. Final SRC Checkout
No matter how much preparation one does in preparing to deploy, I am amazed how important things get missed. For example as I processed through the ID Card station, I learned that I was never coded as someone serving on "Contingency Operations" duty. In a nut shell, that meant that if someone in the future had questioned if I had ever served in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, much less served in Kuwait, they could have denied certain benefits that are only available to those who serve under that coding. They certainly would have required me to jump through more hoops to prove I was eligible for certain benefits.
I have some very important advice for those National Guard and Reservist out there. If you have built up Leave days, it is imperative that you depart theater in enough time so that you do not lose those days. Unless you fall into a certain category such as having served in Iraq or Afghanistan with the hopes of taking advantage of the Post Mobilization Respite Absence or PMRA.
PMRA is a program designed to offer benefits to those service members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan without taking their required time off with the family. If for example a Reservist or National Guard service member serves two consecutive tours in those countries, they would be offered additional non-chargeable leave days. They would not lose those days even if they did not have available days to take them. Instead what would happen is that upon reaching their demobilization station, their orders would be extended giving them the opportunity to take their leave without the loss of their benefits and entitlements.
If you arrive at your demobilization station with more leave days then you have left on your orders, you could end up losing certain benefits that you would not have lost if you had enough days on your orders to cover those days. The best way to illustrate my point is to consider the following. Service Member "A" departs Kuwait with 10 days left on his orders but has 30 days of leave built up. Upon arriving at the demobilization station, he would be able to use up to 10 days of transitional leave and be required to sell back the remaining 20 days.
Why is that important you might ask? Well when Service Member "A" sells back his 20 leave days, he will lose his "day for day" credit for his retirement calculation thus cause a possible reduction in retirement benefits. Additionally he will lose his housing allowance which can be calculated at over $2,000 per month for some service members.
Now consider Service Member "B". She departs Qatar with 35 days left on her order but has 30 days of chargeable leave. Upon arrival at her demobilization station, she would be able to take her entire 30 days of leave plus earn her day for day credit for retirement purposes. In addition she would also continue receiving her housing allowance. Service Member "B" is a much happier and wealthier service member.
However, you can avoid the paroles of Service Member "A" by just ensuring you depart theater with enough time to utilize all of your earned chargeable leave. There are exceptions to this such as obtaining a letter from an O6 in your chain of command. However, you must plan ahead. Remember YOU are the only one that is responsible for your career!
It can not be stressed too much, it is very important that you keep accurate records of your file and ensure your file is correct and updated! Without over exaggerating, I have gone through no less then 4 Soldier Readiness Processes or SRPs prior to mobilization in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. However, during my demobilization phase after my two years of active duty, it was discovered that my records were not coded correctly and not giving me credit for serving in contingency operations. So in fact there was not a record of me serving in a war zone. How could this happen you might ask? Well I will respond by saying what the fine young woman told me as I past through her "ID Card" section; "If it is not THEIR records, no one cares." In other words, you are the best custodian of your career and records. No one else will put as much time and effort into ensuring your files are up to date as you!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Battle Stress
Whether you wear a medal on you chest or just courage in your heart, the effects of war are real. Service members should never be ashamed to seek mental health counseling. There is no shame in recognizing that you are having problems dealing with the effects of your combat deployment. In fact, it is honorable and shows a great deal of courage for you to seek out and get the treatment you need to succeed. In the past seeking mental health counselling may have affected your ability to obtain or keep a security clearance or even certain jobs in the military. Recently the have been changes on security clearance application procedures. You are now allowed to check the "no" block when asked if you have any mental health issues as long as you are seeking and undergoing treatment with a mental health provider.
As l look back over the two years I spent deployed to the Iraq war theater of operations, I am amazed at the many experience I have had. I have held positions that helped service members return home for much needed Rest and Recuperation as the Deputy Chief of USARCENT's R&R Program. The R&R program, with nearly a billion dollar per year budget, did just that. I also on a more relevant note to this book held the position of S1/Adjutant. However for me by the end of my deployment I learned that the truly most important thing in life was the connection you have with family and friends. Family is and will always be the most important thing in my life. Remember when you serve, your entire family serves with you. When you are under stress so is your family. It took a combat deployment for some to realize this fact.
If you are suffer from stress associated to your deployment contact your base mental health provider or the Veterans Administration. They are well equipped to assist you as you navigate on your road to recovery and mental health bliss.
As l look back over the two years I spent deployed to the Iraq war theater of operations, I am amazed at the many experience I have had. I have held positions that helped service members return home for much needed Rest and Recuperation as the Deputy Chief of USARCENT's R&R Program. The R&R program, with nearly a billion dollar per year budget, did just that. I also on a more relevant note to this book held the position of S1/Adjutant. However for me by the end of my deployment I learned that the truly most important thing in life was the connection you have with family and friends. Family is and will always be the most important thing in my life. Remember when you serve, your entire family serves with you. When you are under stress so is your family. It took a combat deployment for some to realize this fact.
If you are suffer from stress associated to your deployment contact your base mental health provider or the Veterans Administration. They are well equipped to assist you as you navigate on your road to recovery and mental health bliss.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Report: 35% of warrior-unit soldiers face addiction
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Medical officials estimate that 25% to 35% of about 10,000 ailing soldiers assigned to special wounded-care companies or battalions are addicted or dependent on drugs — particularly prescription narcotic pain relievers, according to an Army inspector general's report made public Tuesday.
The report also found that these formations known as Warrior Transition Units — created after the Walter Reed Army Hospital scandal in 2007 as a means of improving care for wounded troops — have become costly way stations where ill, injured or wounded soldiers wait more than a year to receive a medical discharge.
The newly appointed commander of the warrior units, Col. Darryl Williams, criticized the report's assertions about drug addiction. He said the high rate of drug addiction and dependency cited in the report was based on estimates made by case managers and nurses working with troops and are not statisticaly valid.
"It kind of caught me by surprise," says Williams, who has asked his inspectors to see of the numbers are accurate. He says most of the report's recommendations for change will be in place by summer.
""This report shows that there continue to be soldiers falling through the cracks of the Army's efforts to care for their wounded, ill, and injured," says Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., a senior member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committe who was briefed on the report because of her work to improve health care for troops. "It illustrates that soldiers are waiting too long for routine examinations, that many (warrior units) have not been provided the uniform guidance they need, that access to mental health professionals is too often scarce and that too many soldiers are abusing drugs as they struggle to recover both mentally and physically."
Most case managers and nurses interviewed by investigators said 25% to 35% of soldiers in warrior units "are over-medicated, abuse prescriptions and have access to illegal drugs."
They said most soldiers arrive in the units with narcotics provided by battlefield doctors or military bases. They also said a few soldiers under their care are buying narcotics out of pocket and may be mixing legal and illegal drugs.
About three out of four soldiers in the warrior units either leave the Army or active duty.
After nine years of war, the Army medical-discharge process has become a bureaucratic backlog where nearly 7,800 soldiers from across the Army wait for their cases to be reviewed. That's nearly a 50% increase since 2007, according to the investigation.
The "process is complex, disjointed and hard to understand," the report says.
For the high-care warrior units, it means many of their soldiers wait more than a year for a medical release from the Army, the report says.
"Medical resources (are) tied up for soldiers who will not be returning to the fight," investigators say.
Murray says "too often soldiers are finding themselves stuck (in warrior units). This is unacceptable."
The warrior units were created across the Army in June 2007 in response to media reports that the processing of wounded and ill soldiers at Walter Reed was poorly managed. The warrior units — where many ill, injured or wounded troops are temporarily assigned — have nurses, case managers and squad leaders to guide each soldier through the health system.
Only about 10% of the soldiers in these units are wounded in combat. The rest are there for injuries, illness or mental health issues.
The report says most people "generally" feel the units are the best place in the Army to heal up.
Other issues raised in the report:
•The Army does not have the resources to "appropriately treat drug dependence or abusers."
•The Army doesn't have enough doctors to review requests for medical discharges.
• A growing number soldiers returning to duty from the warrior units may have unresolved medical problems — such as mental health or brain injury issues — from past deployments.
Reprinted from USAToday
The report also found that these formations known as Warrior Transition Units — created after the Walter Reed Army Hospital scandal in 2007 as a means of improving care for wounded troops — have become costly way stations where ill, injured or wounded soldiers wait more than a year to receive a medical discharge.
The newly appointed commander of the warrior units, Col. Darryl Williams, criticized the report's assertions about drug addiction. He said the high rate of drug addiction and dependency cited in the report was based on estimates made by case managers and nurses working with troops and are not statisticaly valid.
"It kind of caught me by surprise," says Williams, who has asked his inspectors to see of the numbers are accurate. He says most of the report's recommendations for change will be in place by summer.
""This report shows that there continue to be soldiers falling through the cracks of the Army's efforts to care for their wounded, ill, and injured," says Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., a senior member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committe who was briefed on the report because of her work to improve health care for troops. "It illustrates that soldiers are waiting too long for routine examinations, that many (warrior units) have not been provided the uniform guidance they need, that access to mental health professionals is too often scarce and that too many soldiers are abusing drugs as they struggle to recover both mentally and physically."
Most case managers and nurses interviewed by investigators said 25% to 35% of soldiers in warrior units "are over-medicated, abuse prescriptions and have access to illegal drugs."
They said most soldiers arrive in the units with narcotics provided by battlefield doctors or military bases. They also said a few soldiers under their care are buying narcotics out of pocket and may be mixing legal and illegal drugs.
About three out of four soldiers in the warrior units either leave the Army or active duty.
After nine years of war, the Army medical-discharge process has become a bureaucratic backlog where nearly 7,800 soldiers from across the Army wait for their cases to be reviewed. That's nearly a 50% increase since 2007, according to the investigation.
The "process is complex, disjointed and hard to understand," the report says.
For the high-care warrior units, it means many of their soldiers wait more than a year for a medical release from the Army, the report says.
"Medical resources (are) tied up for soldiers who will not be returning to the fight," investigators say.
Murray says "too often soldiers are finding themselves stuck (in warrior units). This is unacceptable."
The warrior units were created across the Army in June 2007 in response to media reports that the processing of wounded and ill soldiers at Walter Reed was poorly managed. The warrior units — where many ill, injured or wounded troops are temporarily assigned — have nurses, case managers and squad leaders to guide each soldier through the health system.
Only about 10% of the soldiers in these units are wounded in combat. The rest are there for injuries, illness or mental health issues.
The report says most people "generally" feel the units are the best place in the Army to heal up.
Other issues raised in the report:
•The Army does not have the resources to "appropriately treat drug dependence or abusers."
•The Army doesn't have enough doctors to review requests for medical discharges.
• A growing number soldiers returning to duty from the warrior units may have unresolved medical problems — such as mental health or brain injury issues — from past deployments.
Reprinted from USAToday
Thursday, January 20, 2011
More Army Guard, Reserve soldiers committing suicide...
An increase in suicides among National Guard soldiers largely in states across the Midwest — such as Missouri and Wisconsin — is responsible for a 24% increase in Army suicides last year, the service reported Wednesday.
Missouri and Texas each reported seven suicides among their National Guard troops in 2010, Wisconsin had six, and there were five each in the National Guard units of Minnesota, Ohio, Arizona, California and North Carolina.
Soldiers, both active duty and on inactive status, died by suicide at the rate of 25 per month in 2010, Army figures show.
"All of us are stunned by it, and we wished we knew why," says Army Lt. Col. Jackie Guthrie of the Wisconsin National Guard. "It is especially hard when it's suicide, when it's someone hurting in our ranks."
USA TODAY reported in November that suicides had doubled among National Guard soldiers who were on inactive duty in a year when the Army was seeing a slight decline among active-duty soldier suicides.
The Army released final year-end statistics Wednesday. There were 301 confirmed or suspected soldier suicides in 2010, including those on active duty and reservists or National Guard troops on an inactive status, the Army reported Wednesday. This compares with 242 in 2009.
The Marine Corps reported a decline in suicides from 52 in 2009 to 46 confirmed or suspected cases in 2010.
Among active-duty Army soldiers, there were 156 potential suicides in 2010, down slightly from 162 in 2009.
Among National Guard soldiers on inactive status in 2010, there were 101 confirmed or suspected suicides, more than double the 48 deaths among Guard members on inactive duty in 2009.
Suicides among National Guard troops in Missouri and Wisconsin not only outnumbered such deaths in previous years but were also far more than combat deaths for these units during any year since 2001, says Guthrie and Maj. Tammy Spicer of the Missouri National Guard. As an example, the largest number of Missouri National Guard members killed in combat was three in 2006, less than half the seven suicides in 2010.
Members of the National Guard or Army Reserve who are on inactive duty are civilians much of the time, wearing a uniform only to drill one weekend a month and two full weeks a year.
Army leaders said Wednesday that more must be done to monitor and keep tabs on troops, and section leaders should checking in with them more frequently.
"We recognize we must be even more aggressive," says Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army's vice chief of staff.
Chiarelli says programs designed to help soldiers deal better with stress, make it easier for them to seek substance-abuse treatment and obtain marriage and family counseling are helping prevent suicides among active-duty troops.
Reprinted from USAToday
Missouri and Texas each reported seven suicides among their National Guard troops in 2010, Wisconsin had six, and there were five each in the National Guard units of Minnesota, Ohio, Arizona, California and North Carolina.
Soldiers, both active duty and on inactive status, died by suicide at the rate of 25 per month in 2010, Army figures show.
"All of us are stunned by it, and we wished we knew why," says Army Lt. Col. Jackie Guthrie of the Wisconsin National Guard. "It is especially hard when it's suicide, when it's someone hurting in our ranks."
USA TODAY reported in November that suicides had doubled among National Guard soldiers who were on inactive duty in a year when the Army was seeing a slight decline among active-duty soldier suicides.
The Army released final year-end statistics Wednesday. There were 301 confirmed or suspected soldier suicides in 2010, including those on active duty and reservists or National Guard troops on an inactive status, the Army reported Wednesday. This compares with 242 in 2009.
The Marine Corps reported a decline in suicides from 52 in 2009 to 46 confirmed or suspected cases in 2010.
Among active-duty Army soldiers, there were 156 potential suicides in 2010, down slightly from 162 in 2009.
Among National Guard soldiers on inactive status in 2010, there were 101 confirmed or suspected suicides, more than double the 48 deaths among Guard members on inactive duty in 2009.
Suicides among National Guard troops in Missouri and Wisconsin not only outnumbered such deaths in previous years but were also far more than combat deaths for these units during any year since 2001, says Guthrie and Maj. Tammy Spicer of the Missouri National Guard. As an example, the largest number of Missouri National Guard members killed in combat was three in 2006, less than half the seven suicides in 2010.
Members of the National Guard or Army Reserve who are on inactive duty are civilians much of the time, wearing a uniform only to drill one weekend a month and two full weeks a year.
Army leaders said Wednesday that more must be done to monitor and keep tabs on troops, and section leaders should checking in with them more frequently.
"We recognize we must be even more aggressive," says Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army's vice chief of staff.
Chiarelli says programs designed to help soldiers deal better with stress, make it easier for them to seek substance-abuse treatment and obtain marriage and family counseling are helping prevent suicides among active-duty troops.
Reprinted from USAToday
Monday, January 17, 2011
'Stop loss' bonuses go unpaid to 35,000 soldiers
The Army is struggling to find about 35,000 soldiers, most of them veterans now, who are owed bonuses because they were forced to remain in the military beyond their normal enlistment.
The government authorized the "special pay" in 2009 following criticism from some troops and Congress who said the "stop loss" policy that extended enlistments amounted to a "back door draft." Most of the troops fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Veterans groups have faulted the Pentagon for not being able to locate the troops.
"In this economy, I haven't met a single stop-loss veteran who can't use this money for their family or school," said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
The Army has paid $245 million in bonuses for 84,000 soldiers since the law passed, said Army Maj. Roy Whitley, who is managing Army efforts to provide the special pay.
The Army has yet to pay up to $160 million to 57,000 current or former soldiers, or to families of those who have died or were killed while on stop-loss. That includes 22,000 requests that are currently under review and about 35,000 people the Army cannot yet locate.
The Army used stop-loss extensively to maintain troop levels as fighting in Iraq ramped up. Other services also used the program, but less frequently.
There are about 15,000 unpaid cases among other services, the Pentagon says.
The military has ended the practice of stop-loss.
Congress passed a law in 2009 to compensate the troops with retroactive bonuses of $500 for every month served beyond enlistment. The average payout is about $3,800.
The Pentagon is barred from using the Internal Revenue Service or other government data to track the troops, IRS spokesman Eric Smith said.
Many servicemembers are young people who may be in college or have moved from the address that the military has for them.
The law requires servicemembers to apply for the special pay. Congress has extended a deadline for people to apply for bonuses to March 4. The Pentagon urges anyone owed money to get more information at www.defense.gov/stoploss.
The Army has used direct mail, worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs and veteran organizations and placed notices in the media. Another plan is to reach out to new GI Bill recipients and see if any of them are owed the bonuses.
Navy Cross recipient Scott Montoya, 41, said he was stop-lossed for several months in 2003 while fighting in Iraq and has yet to be paid.
The former Marine Corps reserve sergeant, who received the second-highest combat valor award for rescuing wounded civilians and Marines while under fire in Baghdad on April 8, 2003, said he received mail alerting him to the bonus last year and responded. But he has received no reply.
The Marine Corps confirmed that Montoya may be owed a stop-loss bonus and is looking into it.
For the months he says he was on stop-loss in 2003 a bonus could amount to several thousand dollars.
"Oh God, that would be helpful," he said.
Reprinted from USAToday
The government authorized the "special pay" in 2009 following criticism from some troops and Congress who said the "stop loss" policy that extended enlistments amounted to a "back door draft." Most of the troops fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Veterans groups have faulted the Pentagon for not being able to locate the troops.
"In this economy, I haven't met a single stop-loss veteran who can't use this money for their family or school," said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
The Army has paid $245 million in bonuses for 84,000 soldiers since the law passed, said Army Maj. Roy Whitley, who is managing Army efforts to provide the special pay.
The Army has yet to pay up to $160 million to 57,000 current or former soldiers, or to families of those who have died or were killed while on stop-loss. That includes 22,000 requests that are currently under review and about 35,000 people the Army cannot yet locate.
The Army used stop-loss extensively to maintain troop levels as fighting in Iraq ramped up. Other services also used the program, but less frequently.
There are about 15,000 unpaid cases among other services, the Pentagon says.
The military has ended the practice of stop-loss.
Congress passed a law in 2009 to compensate the troops with retroactive bonuses of $500 for every month served beyond enlistment. The average payout is about $3,800.
The Pentagon is barred from using the Internal Revenue Service or other government data to track the troops, IRS spokesman Eric Smith said.
Many servicemembers are young people who may be in college or have moved from the address that the military has for them.
The law requires servicemembers to apply for the special pay. Congress has extended a deadline for people to apply for bonuses to March 4. The Pentagon urges anyone owed money to get more information at www.defense.gov/stoploss.
The Army has used direct mail, worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs and veteran organizations and placed notices in the media. Another plan is to reach out to new GI Bill recipients and see if any of them are owed the bonuses.
Navy Cross recipient Scott Montoya, 41, said he was stop-lossed for several months in 2003 while fighting in Iraq and has yet to be paid.
The former Marine Corps reserve sergeant, who received the second-highest combat valor award for rescuing wounded civilians and Marines while under fire in Baghdad on April 8, 2003, said he received mail alerting him to the bonus last year and responded. But he has received no reply.
The Marine Corps confirmed that Montoya may be owed a stop-loss bonus and is looking into it.
For the months he says he was on stop-loss in 2003 a bonus could amount to several thousand dollars.
"Oh God, that would be helpful," he said.
Reprinted from USAToday
Monday, January 3, 2011
Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI)
Life Insurance is a very important and valuable benefit for service members. At the time I wrote my book, The Service Member’s Guide to Deployment; What every Soldier, Sailor, Airmen and Marine should know prior to being deployed., service members who died while on active duty received up to $400,000 and under certain situations could receive even more money. Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance or SGLI is life insurance policy the covers service members who die or are killed. The money is paid directly to the named beneficiary or beneficiaries upon the death of the service member. This money could also be used to fund a Trust. The trustee would then carry out the wishes of the deceased service member. Additionally, there are other monies paid to the family upon the death of a service member in combat. I discuss those benefits in greater detail in my book.
It is very important that as a service member you review your SGLI policy to include beneficiary information for changes or necessary modifications. A thorough review of your insurance policy is a must and should be done yearly regardless of your deployment status. You need to review your beneficiary information just in case something unfortunate happens to you the service member. You want to make certain that the person receiving the death benefit actually is the intended recipient or beneficiary. You certainly want to ensure your intended beneficiary is provided for if you are killed while serving your country.
I know of several cases where because the service member did not update their SGLI policy, an ex-spouse or someone other then the intended beneficiary received the insurance money. In situations like that, there is little the intended beneficiary can do, especially without court intervention. Even then, the intended beneficiary has very little to adequately show they were the intended beneficiary. Think of it this way, if it were that easy to contest the named beneficiary, courts would be tied up more then they are already with cases of folks trying to overturn what the court assumes is the “will” of the deceased. If you find yourself in a situation like that, contact an attorney immediately to discuss all of your possible options.
It is very important that as a service member you review your SGLI policy to include beneficiary information for changes or necessary modifications. A thorough review of your insurance policy is a must and should be done yearly regardless of your deployment status. You need to review your beneficiary information just in case something unfortunate happens to you the service member. You want to make certain that the person receiving the death benefit actually is the intended recipient or beneficiary. You certainly want to ensure your intended beneficiary is provided for if you are killed while serving your country.
I know of several cases where because the service member did not update their SGLI policy, an ex-spouse or someone other then the intended beneficiary received the insurance money. In situations like that, there is little the intended beneficiary can do, especially without court intervention. Even then, the intended beneficiary has very little to adequately show they were the intended beneficiary. Think of it this way, if it were that easy to contest the named beneficiary, courts would be tied up more then they are already with cases of folks trying to overturn what the court assumes is the “will” of the deceased. If you find yourself in a situation like that, contact an attorney immediately to discuss all of your possible options.
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