Deadline for Iraq war bonuses is Dec. 31

Ohio has paid veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars $64.9 million since voters approved a bonus program in 2009.

Bonuses have been awarded to 80,511 veterans and surviving family members, the Ohio Department of Veterans Services says.

The agency yesterday announced a Dec. 31 deadline for veterans of the Iraq war who served between 2003 and Dec. 31, 2011, when U.S. involvement in the war ended. The bonus eligibility period expires three years after the official end of the conflict.

Because the U.S. conflict in Afghanistan has not been officially declared over, there currently is no deadline for applications by vets who served tours of duty in Afghanistan.

“I urge every veteran who served in Iraq to take

Veterans can get the bonus if they served anywhere in the world during the Iraq or Afghanistan wars.

the time to apply for the bonus,” said Tim Gorrell, state veterans services director. “We’ve had a great response to the bonus, but we’re also going to keep working to get the word out.”

The bonus was approved by Ohio voters in 2009 as a continuation of a state tradition of awarding cash to vets dating back to the Civil War. Veterans are eligible for the bonus if they served anywhere in the world during the Iraq or Afghanistan wars; the bonus is higher for those who served in Iraq or Afghanistan.

To qualify, veterans must have served at least 90 days on active duty, excluding training. They must have been Ohio residents at the time they entered service, and when they apply. Those who served more than one tour of duty can apply for multiple bonuses, up to a total of $1,500.

The bonus amounts to $100 per month of service in Iraq or Afghanistan, up to $1,000. Veterans who served elsewhere can receive $50 a month, up to $500. Veterans discharged for medical reasons for battle injuries are eligible for $1,000, plus $500 for months of service elsewhere. The family of military vets who are killed in action or died of related disease can get $5,000 plus other benefits, up to $6,500.

Information is available by calling 1-877-644-6838 and dialing option 2; going online to www.veteransbonus.ohio.gov, or visiting a county veterans service office.