Military Officer - March 2009 - (Page 24) rapidfire Dispute Period for SBP Opens In October 2008, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) modified the Retiree Account Statement by adding 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 who were age 70 or older Oct. 1, 2008, also will have premiums stopped. DFAS will notify members of their paid-up status and when premiums will be stopped but says records of premium payments might be incomplete in some cases. Retirees who believe DFAS has undercounted their SBP premiums can file a dispute now through June 30, 2009. Disputes must be made by completing a DD Form 2656-11 , found at www .dfas.mil/retiredpay/paid upsurvivorbenefitpay mentsbp/dd2656-11.pdf. To learn more, call DFAS at (800) 321-1080. 24 MILITARY OFFICER W Operation Baghdad Pups ithout an animal shelter in the entire city of Baghdad, Iraq, servicemembers regularly encounter starving, injured dogs wandering the streets, helpless and alone. A pat on the head and a few scraps of food later, the dog and soldier have bonded. Of course, soldiers are unable to keep the dogs on a military base, so this is where Operation Baghdad Pups steps in. An arm of SPCA International, the organization pays for the initial care, vaccinations, and transport of dogs from the “war zone to a real home,” which usually means from the Middle East to the U.S. It all began with Charlie, a black-and-white dog no bigger than a baked potato, who was befriended by Sgt. Edward Watson of the Army’s 82nd Airborne, who couldn’t take the dog with him when his unit moved. Calling the dog a “four-legged morale booster,” Watson asked for help to get the dog safely to the U.S. Thanks to the generosity of private donors, Operation Baghdad Pups was born, and Charlie moved to the U.S. on Valentine’s Day 2008. Since its inception, the organization has transferred more than 50 dogs (and some cats) to new American homes. For more information and to find out how you can help, visit www.baghdadpups.com. — Vera Wilson MARCH 2009 PHOTOS: COURTESY SPCA INTERNATIONAL http://www.baghdadpups.com http://www.dfas.mil/retiredpay/paid-upsurvivorbenefitpaymentsbp.html http://www.dfas.mil/retiredpay/paid-upsurvivorbenefitpaymentsbp.html http://www.dfas.mil/retiredpay/paid-upsurvivorbenefitpaymentsbp.html http://www.dfas.mil/retiredpay/paid-upsurvivorbenefitpaymentsbp.html
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