Five U.S. Department of Defense organizations paid more than $8.4 million in restitution through the end of September to overseas workers who weren’t paid post allowances they were eligible for, according to figures provided this week by the DOD.

That sum — which might represent less than one-fifth of what current and former workers could receive if all those eligible file claims — seems to indicate that four of the organizations involved are moving quickly to put the episode behind them. Only the Air Force has lagged behind, processing only 1 percent of its claims.

Payments have so far averaged more than $15,000 per person — they are likely so high because many employees are owed several years’ worth of post allowance, a supplement that can add more than $10,000 to a worker’s annual salary.

The payments are in response to a March 21 ruling from the DOD that reinforced a 1995 policy mandating payments of post allowance — a cost-of-living allowance — to U.S. citizens hired overseas for full-time jobs with nonappropriated fund organizations. The ruling ordered the organizations to start paying the allowance, and to compensate workers for roughly six years of unpaid allowances.

About 2,850 current employees, along with an unknown number of former workers, qualify for compensation.

Most organizations started taking claims by mid-August. As of the end of September, 2,079 people filed for back payments, and 558 of those had been processed and paid, according to Defense Department data.

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service led the way in both number of claims received — 1,125 — and in claims processed and paid — 296. The Navy Exchange Service Command, which paid out more than $3.6 million in claims through the end of September, led in dollars paid.

Commander Navy Installations Command and the Marines together had received nearly 600 claims and paid 94 totaling more than $1.7 million.

But the Air Force, which has one of the largest work forces affected by the ruling, has lagged far behind its counterparts both in number of claims received and claims paid.

As of the end of September, the Air Force had paid just one claim out of 98 it had received.

Following the March 21 ruling that mandated post allowance payments, an additional 2,850 overseas workers started getting the allowance according to the DOD. Of those, more than 20 percent work for Air Force Services, an organization that runs on-post lodging facilities, bowling alleys, day-care centers and various other activities.

It’s not clear exactly why the Air Force’s numbers are so low.

Air Force workers hoping to file claims at two bases in Germany said they’ve been told the service’s back pay procedures haven’t been approved yet, despite the fact the procedures have been available for more than a month on a special Web site set up to help claimants with the process.

Stars and Stripes contacted U.S. Air Forces in Europe about the workers’ allegations on Friday, but did not receive a response by deadline. A query to Air Force headquarters in the Pentagon on Thursday about the pace at which claims were being paid also wasn’t answered by deadline Friday.