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Veterans Hotline: Deadline nears to apply for special ‘Stop Loss’ pay

Ed Wilkinson
Ed Wilkinson
Wilkinson_Ed_MUG

The 2009 War Supplemental Appropriations Act established Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay (RSLSP), providing $500 for each month/partial month served in stop loss status.

Service members, veterans, and beneficiaries of service members whose service was involuntarily extended under Stop Loss between Sept. 11, 2001 and Sept 30, 2009 are eligible for RSLSP. To receive this benefit, those who served under stop loss must submit a claim for the special pay.

Throughout the year, the services have been reaching out to service members, veterans and their families through direct mail, veteran service organizations and the media. But there is still money left to be claimed, and the deadline is approaching.



The average benefit it $3,700.

Individuals who meet eligibility criteria should submit an application by October 21. By law, there is no authorization to make payments on claims that are submitted after the deadline.



Eligible members should visit their specific service’s Web site and submit their application on-line; on-line submission provides a claim number, allows for automated status updates, and provides a means for the military service to contact the applicant.

If eligible members do not have internet access, they should print, complete and sign Department of Defense Form 2944, Claim for Retroactive Stop Loss Payment.

Next, choose the appropriate method for submitting the claim form and available supporting documents based on your service specifications. This information can be found on your service’s stop loss Web site.

Poppy sale coming up

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 20 and 27, local VFW Post 4265 will be conducting their annual “Buddy Poppy” distribution at various sites around Craig.

Buddy Poppies are distributed in the hope of getting donations for Veterans welfare, or their dependents and orphans of Veterans. Buddy Poppies are assembled in VA hospitals and state Veterans homes, tied in bunches of 10 and then packed in boxes of 500, 100, or 2000 for shipment to posts nationwide.

VFW pays the disabled veteran for the work. This extra income provides additional income for the worker to pay for the little luxuries, which make hospital life more tolerable.

Poppy assembly is often used as a therapy program to provide exercise for fingers and hands crippled by wounds, diseases and the effects of old age. Since 1922, the Buddy Poppy has been an integral part of the VFW community.

As VFW’s official flower, the poppy represents the blood shed by American service members. It reiterates that the VFW will not forget their sacrifices.

Craig Telehealth Clinic reminder

The Craig Community Telehealth Clinic offers U.S. veterans state-of-the-art technology as well as onsite nursing support and remote practitioner availability.

Our goal is to provide an extensive array of healthcare services to our veterans in a setting that is both accessible and professional. In order to appropriately plan and coordinate your visit, access to the clinic is by appointment only.

The clinic will [can] NOT handle emergency needs. Flu shot walk-ins are still on-going for Vets currently enrolled in the VAMC Healthcare system.

Questions? Call 824-6721.

Tele-psych services now available

Veterans can now get tele-pysch services at the Craig VA Telehealth clinic.

All they need to do is call 970 263-2824 to set up a follow-up appointment for their mental health visit to be done there.

If there are any questions contact Jayne Scribner at VAMC Grand Junction via phone or email. Her email address is Jayne.Scribner@va.gov

For more

For information on these programs and/or other veterans’ benefits, call or stop in the Moffat County VSO office at 480 Barclay St. (west of the Bank of Colorado parking lot).

Call 970-824-3246 or use the fax 970-824-7108. Our e-mail address is veterans@moffatcounty.net.

The office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Other times can be arranged by appointment only.

Bring a copy of your separation papers (DD-214) for application for VA programs and for filing at our office.


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