Columbus
Dispatch...
Thousands of Ohio
veterans haven’t applied for service bonuses from state
33,572 got checks; 3 times as many have not applied
By Alan Johnson
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Although 33,572 Ohio veterans have received bonuses from the state,
more than three times that many who are eligible haven’t applied.
The Ohio Department of Veterans Services reported yesterday that it has
distributed $27.3 million in bonuses in the past nine months. The money
comes from a $200million bond issue approved by Ohio voters in November
2009; the first bonus was sent in August 2010 and the program really
didn’t get rolling until last November.
Former and current personnel who served at least 90days on active duty
are eligible to receive $100 per month of service for duty in the
Persian Gulf theater, Afghanistan or Iraq, up to a maximum of $1,000.
Veterans who served elsewhere in the world during those conflicts can
receive $50 a month of duty, up to $500.
Veterans with medical discharges and families of those killed in action
or who died of disease related to service are eligible for larger
bonuses.
To be eligible, veterans must have been Ohio residents now and when
they served.
Tom Moe, veterans services director, said he believes “there’s a lot
more out there who are eligible, so we’re making every effort to be
sure that everyone who’s qualified for the bonus gets it.”
“This is real money for veterans, for whatever purpose they need or
desire,” Moe said. “We know that the bonus has already made a
difference in the lives of over 33,500 Ohioans.”
The state’s tradition of offering bonuses to Ohio veterans dates to the
Civil War.
The agency doesn’t have an exact number of eligible veterans, but it
estimates that more than 100,000 have not applied for the bonus.
For information, call toll-free, 1-877-644-6838, or visit www.veteransbonus.ohio.gov.
Read it at the Columbus Dispatch
|
