Archive for September, 2010
Deadline Nears For Military & …
Deadline Nears For Military & Vets To Seek Stop Loss Pay: Current service members and veterans whose tours of duty… http://bit.ly/bk1QM7
Deadline Nears For Military & Vets To Seek Stop Loss Pay
Current service members and veterans whose tours of duty were involuntarily extended in Iraq and Afghanistan have until October 21 to apply for retroactive pay, Congressman Gerry Connolly said today.
Service members are eligible for retroactive pay of $500 a month for each month their service was extended. Connolly said Defense Department statistics show that only 58,000 claims have been paid out of an estimated 145,400 service members and veterans who are eligible to receive the stop loss pay.
“The men and women of the military have served our nation with bravery and honor in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Connolly said. “All of them, and their families, have made tremendous sacrifices on our behalf, and those who were required to serve in combat longer than anticipated deserve fair and just compensation.”
Connolly said Congress passed legislation in 2009 to compensate service members for tours of duty that were involuntarily extended in Iraq and Afghanistan. “With the deadline fast approaching, I urge all eligible service members to submit their claims so that they can receive the retroactive pay they have earned, he said.”
In 2009, Connolly voted to pass HR 2346, the War Supplemental Appropriations Act which established retroactive stop loss special pay (RSLSP). The establishment of RSLSP allows service members and veterans whose service was involuntarily extended between September 11, 2001 and September 30, 2009 to file claims in order to receive retroactive pay if eligible. The deadline for submissions is October 21, 2010 and the average payment is $3,800.
For more information or to submit a claim please visit www.defense.gov/stoploss or contact Congressman Connolly’s District Office at 703-256-3071 for further assistance.
Connolly to Participate Thursd…
Connolly to Participate Thursday in Governor’s Commission on Defense Cuts: Congressman also Announces Congressiona… http://bit.ly/9yCOHE
Connolly to Participate Thursday in Governor’s Commission on Defense Cuts
Congressman also Announces Congressional Hearing to be Held on Cuts on September 29
Congressman Gerry Connolly will participate in the first meeting of Governor McDonnell’s Commission on Military and National Security Facilities on Thursday in Richmond. The commission will discuss Defense Secretary Robert Gates proposed cuts in defense contracting in Northern Virginia and the closure of the Joint Forces Command in Hampton Roads.
Connolly also said the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Management, Organization, and Procurement will hold a Capitol Hill hearing on the cuts on September 29. Connolly, a member of the committee, requested the Congressional hearing.
Connolly has praised Gates’ goal to cut defense spending, but he also has questioned the rationale and analysis behind the Defense Secretary’s plan to arbitrarily cut defense contracting by 10 percent a year for three years.
“Arbitrary across-the-board cuts generally don’t produce the desired result and are not a strategic means of achieving savings,” Connolly said, noting that previous efforts to reduce reliance on contractors did not achieve the savings hoped for by the Pentagon.
Connolly also said that smaller contractors, particularly companies owned by minorities, women, and disabled veterans, will probably bear the brunt of the cuts. “Large contractors have the resources to weather such cuts, but for many small companies, the loss of a contract can push them right out of business,” he said.
Connolly is also concerned about the ramifications of such arbitrary cuts. “Besides the obvious impact on the economy and workforce in Northern Virginia and other regions with a high concentration of federal contractors, there are some serious concerns about whether these arbitrary reductions in contracting and the shutdown of JFCOM will hurt the Pentagon’s national security interests,” he said. “There are no promises that the expertise lost when contracts are cut will automatically flow into the federal workforce.”