Massachusetts Vietnam Veterans urged to seek bonus waiting for them

Vietnam veterans, families, urged to apply for overdue military bonuses
By Peter Goonan
The Republican
January 05, 2013

Possibly 60,000 Vietnam era veterans from across Massachusetts never collected a military bonus when they returned home, a situation that has spurred many advocates to urge veterans or their surviving families to apply now.

The state-funded bonus of either $200 or $300 is still available for eligible veterans from the state Treasurer’s office, said Michael P. Perna Jr., chief of the military records rranch. He is among officials urging potentially eligible veterans to apply.

Thomas M. Belton Sr., the director of veterans services in Springfield, said that while he is saddened that so many veterans never collected the so-called “welcome home” bonus in the past, he feels “wonderful” by the new outreach effort.

“It was like a wonderful Christmas bonus,” Belton said. “It is our hope that with the increased communication and marketing about the bonuses, that we will see more veterans who are entitled to the bonus in Springfield come through the door.”

Veterans who served on duty in Vietnam are eligible for a one-time bonus of $300 if not collected in the past, while those who served at least six months of active duty during the Vietnam Era (between July 1, 1958 and May 17, 1975), outside Vietnam, are eligible for a $200 bonus.

Some 100,000 discharge records that were missing were found two years ago and then scanned recently into a database, which is helpful to the bonus application process, Perna said.
read more here