HARRISBURG, March 10, 2015 – In conjunction with the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, state Sen. Judy Schwank is reminding Pennsylvania veterans that the time is now to apply for special one-time payments in honor of their service during Persian Gulf operations in 1990 and 1991.
The deadline to apply is Aug. 31.
The payments are for veterans who were on active duty during Operations Desert Shield or Desert Storm between Aug. 2, 1990, and Aug. 31, 1991.
“This could be hundreds of dollars for Pennsylvania veterans who laid it all on the line and fought to defend us in the Persian Gulf,” Sen. Schwank said.
Schwank said the DMVA is also asking veterans who might have previously been denied the bonus to reapply. New applications are required to reopen a claim.
So far, some 11,000 Persian Gulf veterans have applied for the bonus program since the program’s start in 2008.
The bonus pays $75 per month for qualifying, active-duty service members, up to a $525 maximum.
For personnel whose death was related to illness or injury received in the line of duty in Operations Desert Shield or Desert Storm, there is an additional $5,000 available to the surviving family. Service members who were declared prisoners of war may also be eligible for an additional $5,000.
In each case, the service member must have:
- Served with the U.S. Armed Forces, a reserve component of the U.S. Armed Forces or the PA National Guard,
- Served on active duty in the Persian Gulf Theater of Operations during the period from Aug. 2, 1990, until Aug. 31, 1991, and received the Southwest Asia Service Medal,
- Been a legal resident of Pennsylvania at the time of active duty service,
- Been discharged from active duty under honorable conditions, if not currently on active duty. And,
- Received the Southwest Asia Service Medal.
For detailed instructions on how to apply, visit www.persiangulfbonus.state.pa.us.
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More information on Sen. Schwank is available on her website, Facebook and Twitter.