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Nearly $75M in bonuses paid out to Ohio veterans
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
Nelson Weirick did stints in the Navy and the National Guard from the mid-1970s through 1999, when he retired from the service.
His time included the Gulf War years in the early 1990s, and, as such, he was among the thousands of Ohio military men and women who were eligible for voter-approved bonuses.
It wasn’t a lot of money – $700 or $800, as he recalled.
“It’s not making or breaking anybody,” said Weirick, who today heads the Wayne County Veterans Service Commission. But, he added, “It’s a nice thank you.”
Jeff Shull, a retired Navy chief petty officer who works alongside Weirick at the Wayne County vets services office, received a comparable check for his Gulf War service.
“Even $400 to $500 would make an impact on assisting them getting set up with college,” Shull said, adding, “I would imagine that would be a very pleasant surprise, and it would definitely help you out.”
Since the initial checks were cut in fiscal 2010, 91,700-plus veterans have received bonus payments totaling nearly $74.8 million.
“It’s a show of support and a show of respect from the taxpayers and the Legislature,” said retired Army Col. Chip Tansill, who heads the Ohio Department of Veterans Services. “It’s really not a great deal of money, but it’s nice that our Legislature passed this and that the taxpayers voted for it.”
In November 2009, voters signed off on a constitutional amendment allowing the state to borrow up to $200 million to pay cash bonuses to Ohio military men and women who served at least 90 days of active duty in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq in current conflicts in those areas, plus those involved in Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s.
Eligible veterans are being paid $100 for each month, up to $1,000, for time served in those areas or $50 a month, up to $500, for those serving in other locations at the time, with a $1,500 cap for combined service.
Families of veterans who died in action are eligible for an additional $5,000 death benefit.
The deadline for many Ohio veterans has passed for the current bonuses. Persian Gulf War-era veterans had to apply for by the end of 2013, while those who served during the most recent Iraqi conflict (between March 19, 2003, and Dec. 31, 2011) had to submit applications before the end of 2014.
That leaves military men and women serving during the ongoing military conflict in Afghanistan still eligible, through whenever the president orders U.S. involvement in that region is complete.