Are You Eligible for Extra Money? Thousands of Reserve and National Guard Soldiers Are

Reserve and National Guard soldiers from every state and territory and the District of Columbia are among those eligible for additional money from the Post Deployment Mobilization Respite Absence (PDMRA) Compensation Program, the Department of Defense has determined.

OCAR and the states and territories now are identifying their soldiers who are entitled to extra cash for serving long deployments overseas.

"The Army National Guard is providing the states with individual soldier information, such as names, ranks and days earned, and asking that the states validate their soldiers' eligibility for (PDMRA) compensation," said Lt. Col. Robert Ditchey, a bureau spokesman. Reserve and Guard soldiers who mobilized between Jan. 19, 2007, and Aug. 18, 2007, and served longer than one year may be eligible to receive the PDMRA compensation. Payments are expected to go out starting in March and be completed in October.