Aug 29, 2014 2 min read

The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs in Harrisburg reminds Pennsylvania veterans they have until Aug. 31, 2015, to apply for a special one-time payment if they served on active duty in the Persian Gulf theater of operations between Aug. 2, 1990, and Aug. 31, 1991.

“The one-year countdown has officially begun, so we’re renewing our efforts to spread the word of this bonus to Pennsylvania’s veterans of Operations Desert Shield or Desert Storm,” said Brig. Gen. Jerry Beck, Deputy Adjutant General for Veterans Affairs. “Even if a veteran already applied for the bonus, but was denied, we encourage them to reapply. We are reviewing all denials prior to the sunset of the program.”

New applications are required to reopen a claim.

More than 10,500 Persian Gulf veterans applied for the one-time cash bonus program since the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs began accepting applications in 2008.

The bonus pays $75 a month to 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 also may 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 Pennsylvania National Guard; served on active duty in the Persian Gulf theater of operations during the above dates and received the Southwest Asia service medal; been a legal resident of Pennsylvania at the time of active duty service; and been discharged from active duty under honorable terms, if not currently on active duty.

Individuals who received a bonus or similar compensation from any other state are not eligible for the Pennsylvania bonus. Information on how to apply is available at www.persiangulfbonus.state.pa.us.