rapidfire
Dispute
Period for
SBP Opens
In October 2008, the
Defense Finance and Ac-
counting Service (DFAS)
modified the Retiree Ac-
count Statement by add-
ing a premium counter
that tracks the months
of paid Survivor Benefit
Plan (SBP) premiums
credited to retirees.
The paid-up SBP
program was effective
Oct. 1, 2008, to retirees
at least 70 years of age
and with 30 years of paid
premiums. Participants in
the Retired Serviceman’s
Family Protection Plan
Operation Baghdad Pups
who were age 70 or older
Oct. 1, 2008, also will
have premiums stopped. W
ithout an animal shelter Pups was born, and Charlie moved to the
in the entire city of Baghdad, U.S. on Valentine’s Day 2008. Since its in-
Iraq, servicemembers regularly ception, the organization has transferred
DFAS will notify mem- encounter starving, injured dogs wan- more than 50 dogs (and some cats) to new
bers of their paid-up sta- dering the streets, helpless and alone. A American homes. For more information
tus and when premiums pat on the head and a few scraps of food and to fi nd out how you can help, visit
will be stopped but says later, the dog and soldier have bonded.
www.baghdadpups.com.
records of premium pay- Of course, soldiers are unable to keep the — V Vera WWilson
ments might be incom- dogs on a military base, so this is where
plete in some cases. Operation Baghdad Pups steps in. An arm
Retirees who believe of SPCA International, the organization
DFAS has undercounted pays for the initial care, vaccinations, and
their SBP premiums transport of dogs from the “war zone to a
can file a dispute now real home,” which usually means from the
through June 30, 2009. Middle East to the U.S. It all began with
Disputes must be made Charlie, a black-and-white dog no bigger
by completing a DD Form than a baked potato, who was befriended
2656-11 , found at www by Sgt. Edward Watson of the Army’s
.dfas.mil/retiredpay/paid 82nd Airborne, who couldn’t take the dog
upsurvivorbenefitpay with him when his unit moved. Calling
mentsbp/dd2656-11.pdf. the dog a “four-legged morale booster,”
To learn more, call Watson asked for help to get the dog
DFAS at (800) 321-1080. safely to the U.S. Thanks to the generos-
ity of private donors, Operation Baghdad
2 4 M I L I T A R Y O F F I C E R M A R C H 2 0 0 9 PHOTOS: COURTESY SPCA INTERNATIONAL
MMar_RF.indd Sec2:
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