Calling all Ohio residents who've served in Iraq – you have until Dec. 31 to apply for a bonus worth up to $1,500.

The state of Ohio offers bonuses to service members who've served in Afghanistan or Iraq. The program, which was approved in 2009 by Ohio voters, offers $100 for every month served to eligible veterans or active-duty troops who have served in either war zone. Each eligible service member can receive up to $1,000 for their service in either theater. They also can earn an additional $500 – or $50 for every month served - for service anywhere else in the world.

An applicant can receive a total of no more than $1,500 in bonus money.

The bonus for Iraq service expires Dec. 31 because it is three years after the U.S. ended its involvement there, said Mike McKinney, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Veterans Services.

The bonus for Afghanistan service will remain in place, and it won't expire until three years after U.S. involvement there has ceased, McKinney said.

A previous bonus, offered to veterans Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, expired Dec. 31, 2013.

The bonus program has been available since fall 2010, McKinney said. It was approved by Ohio voters in November 2009, and the Ohio general assembly passed it into law the following year.

The program has "been pretty successful so far, but the law that established it put an end-date" on it, he said. "For Iraq and Afghanistan, it sets sunset dates of three years after the president declares an end to those wars."

The U.S. withdrew all its troops from Iraq at the end of 2011, completing its eight-year mission there. It was only in recent months that the U.S. has been sending troops back into the country to help Iraqi forces fight back against the Islamic State.

So far, more than 85,000 veterans and eligible family members have received the bonus, and the state approves about 160 applications every week, McKinney said.

Through this program, Ohio, which has the sixth largest veteran population in the U.S., has paid more than $68.8 million to its veterans, McKinney said. All the payments are exempt from state and federal taxes, he said.

"It's a very tangible thank you from the state of Ohio to the people who have served in a time of war," McKinney said.

To be eligible for the bonus, among other criteria, the applicant must have:

• Served on active duty during certain periods, for purposes other than training, anywhere in the world.

• Been an Ohio resident at the start of their active duty as well as when they apply for the bonus.

• Received an honorable discharge or still be on active duty or in any reserve component.

Eligible veterans or active-duty troops may receive $100 for each month spent on active duty in the following locations during these dates:

• Afghanistan since Oct. 7, 2001, for a maximum bonus of $1,000.

• Iraq between March 19, 2003, and Dec. 31, 2011, for a maximum bonus of $1,000.

In addition, eligible veterans or active-duty service members serving on active duty anywhere else in the world during the dates listed above may receive $50 a month for a maximum bonus of up to $500.

Eligible veterans who are medically discharged or retired because of injuries or illnesses sustained in Afghanistan or Iraq can apply for a $1,000 bonus, regardless of their time in country, plus up to $500 for time in service elsewhere.

Family members of service members killed in action or who died of a disease as a result of their Afghanistan or Iraq service can receive a bonus of $5,000 plus whatever monthly bonus their service member has earned, for a total of up to $6,500.

McKinney, himself an Army vet, said he encourages all eligible service members to apply for the bonus.

"It's a great deal, and we want everyone who's eligible to receive it," he said.

For more information, additional eligibility criteria, or to apply, visit the Ohio Veterans Bonus website.

You also can call (877) 644-6838 and select Option 2. It takes about three weeks to process an application.

About Michelle Tan

Michelle Tan is the editor of Army Times and Air Force Times. She has covered the military for Military Times since 2005, and has embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Haiti, Gabon and the Horn of Africa.

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