HARRISBURG – Veterans might not get any additional time to apply for the Pennsylvania Persian Gulf Conflict Veterans Bonus if the state Senate doesn’t reconvene and vote before Aug. 31 – the date the program is slated to end.
“In June, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted to extend the Persian Gulf Veterans’ Bonus Program for three years,” said Gov. Tom Wolf. “Unfortunately that bill is waiting for the Senate to take a vote, but they aren’t expected to reconvene until Sept. 21 unless they are recalled sooner.”
The bonus provides a one-time cash payment to eligible Pennsylvania Veterans of the Persian Gulf War. Eligible Pennsylvania Veterans include current and former members of the United States Armed Forces, a reserve component of the United States Armed Forces, or the Pennsylvania National Guard who served from Aug. 2, 1990 to Aug. 31, 1991 within the program-designated Persian Gulf Conflict Theater of Operations.
“In the last 12 months we have increased our efforts to spread the word about this bonus to Pennsylvania’s veterans of Operations Desert Shield or Desert Storm and we have seen the number of applications increase dramatically,” said Maj. Gen. James Joseph, adjutant general of Pennsylvania.
“This shows us that there are still numerous Persian Gulf Veterans out there who have not applied and an extension is the only way to ensure that these veterans get the bonus they have earned.
“Since DVMA began accepting applications on April 4, 2008, more than 11,000 applications have been submitted, and 8,863 of those applicants have been awarded a bonus for a total of $3,652,513 awarded.”
“In order to ensure that every eligible Persian Gulf War Veteran receives this bonus we need the Senate to reconvene and take a vote before Aug. 31. It’s the right thing to do for our veterans,” Joseph added.
For detailed instructions on how to apply, visit www.persiangulfbonus.state.pa.us.