Veterans who served in Iraq have taken advantage of the Ohio Veterans Bonus in increasing numbers this year, but time is rapidly running out to claim this benefit – the deadline for those who served in Iraq is Dec. 31.

Through Sept. 30, the Ohio Veterans Bonus program has paid 83, 399 total claims, amounting to more than $67.4 million.

While some claims are for multiple periods of eligibility, claims for Iraq service represent 23,876 of this total, the most of any period.

The Bonus team is approving an average of more than 160 applications each week.

The eligible period of the Ohio Veterans Bonus for service in the country of Iraq is from March 19, 2003 through Dec. 31, 2011. The deadline of Dec. 31, 2014, is for applications made for this service.

No deadline has been announced for the Ohio Veterans Bonus for those who served in Afghanistan, or anywhere else in the world, since Oct. 7, 2001.

“We’re grateful that so many Iraq veterans have taken advantage of the opportunity to get the Ohio Veterans Bonus, but we don’t want to leave anyone behind on this,” said Ohio Department of Veterans Services Director Tim Gorrell. “Other veterans, county veteran service offices, and the veterans’ organizations have been great about getting the word out. But everybody in Ohio is close in some way to veterans – someone in their family is serving, or a neighbor or friend has someone in the military. So I’m asking everybody to reach out – to the veterans they know, and to the active military from Ohio they know who are serving outside the state or overseas – and make sure they know about the Bonus.”

The Ohio Veterans Bonus is open to veterans who served anywhere in the world during the time of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The amount of the Bonus is higher for those who served in Iraq or Afghanistan. It is also open to the next of kin of those who were killed in action or died of disease as a result of in-country service.

The Bonus is not subject to federal or state taxes, and can be used for any purpose.