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More wounded Marines eligible for special pays

The Corps is expanding special pay and allowance eligibility for Marines wounded or ill as a result of combat or hostile fire.

The Pay and Allowance Continuation program, approved by Congress in 2008, authorizes service members who are hospitalized or assigned to a medical/patient unit for treatment to continue collecting monthly bonus money they would have lost upon evacuation. Marines are able to collect these payments for up to a year, potentially amounting to several thousand dollars.

With its new revisions to the PAC program, the Corps will allow some Marines no longer hospitalized or in medical/patient units — including the Wounded Warrior Regiment — to keep collecting the extra cash. This includes troops who are receiving outpatient treatment and are in a medically restricted duty status, which is light duty or limited duty, according to Marine Administrative message 227/10, released April 16.

Marines are ineligible for PAC when they are placed in medically unrestricted duty status.

Special pay categories can include:

• Hostile fire/imminent danger pay.

• Hazardous duty incentive pay.

• Special duty assignment pay.

• Diving duty pay.

• Assignment incentive pay.

• Hardship duty pay.

• Deployed per diem pay.

In most cases, PAC payments end one year after a Marine’s initial hospitalization, or whenever he is discharged, separated or retired from active duty.

With the revision, Marines who lost monthly pay under the old rules may be able to recoup that money provided they were hospitalized months after an injury from a combat operation, or while in a combat zone, hostile fire area or imminent danger area. Active-duty Marines placed on light or limited duty anytime after July 16, 2009, who lost their monthly PAC pays, may get them reinstated if they are within a year of their initial hospitalization or subsequent approved extension for PAC, the MarAdmin states.

Marines must submit a written request for reinstatement.

The latest policy revision also requires that Marines eligible for PAC are counseled about the program eligibility, benefits and deadlines.

Marines referred to or pending a physical evaluation board review are ineligible for PAC extensions, the MarAdmin states. Also, requests won’t be considered for Marines already approved for permanent limited duty or expanded permanent limited duty.