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Are you or do you know someone who served in the first Gulf War? Those who served on active duty between Aug. 2, 1990 and Aug. 31, 1991, may qualify for a bonus from the state.

The deadline to apply is Aug. 31.

The program pays $75 per month for qualifying, active-duty service members, up to a $525 maximum. For those whose death was related to illness or injury received in the line of duty in the operations, an additional $5,000 is available to the surviving family. Service members who were declared prisoners of war also may be eligible for an additional $5,000.

Rep. Freeman co-sponsored and voted for this law back in 2006 because he believed it was important to recognize those military men and women who sacrificed for us. Now the program is coming to a close and he wants to make sure everyone who qualifies knows about this program and applies.

To qualify, 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 between Aug. 2, 1990 and 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.

For detailed instructions on how to apply, please visit www.persiangulfbonus.state.pa.us.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Military and Veterans Affairs also is asking veterans who might have previously been denied the bonus to reapply. New applications are required to reopen a claim.

More than 11,000 Persian Gulf veterans have applied for the bonus program since its start in 2008.

For more information on this or any other state-related issue or program, please contact Rep. Bob Freeman.