thedrifter
12-01-06, 10:40 AM
December 01, 2006
‘Welcome home’ bonus awaits some Mass. residents
By Gidget Fuentes
Staff writer
Do you call Massachusetts home? Are you a Massachusetts resident? Or were you once?
Has the commonwealth got a present for you!
Marines, sailors and other service members who’ve operated in Iraq or Afghanistan, as well as the far northern reaches of the Persian Gulf, since Sept. 11, 2001, may qualify for a bonus that gives each $1,000 — tax free — from Massachusetts if they legitimately claim it as their home.
Served elsewhere? Don’t worry — service members who’ve deployed elsewhere overseas or were activated for service stateside for more than 180 days after Sept. 11, 2001, might be eligible for a $500 tax-free bonus.
That’s the payout from a veterans-bonus program that Massachusetts began offering earlier this year to military veterans as part of its “Welcome Home” program.
So far, more than 8,000 applications have come in since the latest program began earlier this year, and officials expect to dole out money to more eligible service members.
“We’ve gotten a wonderful response,” Alison Mitchell, spokeswoman for State Treasurer Timothy Cahill, said Thursday.
The commonwealth’s generosity, however, comes with some rules. Money isn’t doled out without proof and the proper paperwork to determine eligibility.
The one-time bonus isn’t automatic for every Massachusetts native. Applicants must have lived in Massachusetts for at least six months before entering military service, and they must fill out a residence certificate obtained from their city or town clerk or elections official, or for former residents, the clerk of the Massachusetts city or town in which they’re claiming residence.
Members still on active duty must get their commanding officer to submit a certification — available on the Massachusetts treasury Web site — along with a copy of their military identification card and orders to Iraq or Afghanistan, if it applies. Those who’ve left service must have served honorably and must submit a copy of their DD-214 discharge form.
The bonus program is similar to ongoing programs for veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
For more information, see www.mass.gov/treasury/vet.../index.htm or www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/c...bonus.htm. Veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War should contact the Massachusetts Department of Veterans Services. Or, contact the Treasury Department in Boston by telephone at (617) 367-9333, extension 539, or by e-mail.
Ellie
‘Welcome home’ bonus awaits some Mass. residents
By Gidget Fuentes
Staff writer
Do you call Massachusetts home? Are you a Massachusetts resident? Or were you once?
Has the commonwealth got a present for you!
Marines, sailors and other service members who’ve operated in Iraq or Afghanistan, as well as the far northern reaches of the Persian Gulf, since Sept. 11, 2001, may qualify for a bonus that gives each $1,000 — tax free — from Massachusetts if they legitimately claim it as their home.
Served elsewhere? Don’t worry — service members who’ve deployed elsewhere overseas or were activated for service stateside for more than 180 days after Sept. 11, 2001, might be eligible for a $500 tax-free bonus.
That’s the payout from a veterans-bonus program that Massachusetts began offering earlier this year to military veterans as part of its “Welcome Home” program.
So far, more than 8,000 applications have come in since the latest program began earlier this year, and officials expect to dole out money to more eligible service members.
“We’ve gotten a wonderful response,” Alison Mitchell, spokeswoman for State Treasurer Timothy Cahill, said Thursday.
The commonwealth’s generosity, however, comes with some rules. Money isn’t doled out without proof and the proper paperwork to determine eligibility.
The one-time bonus isn’t automatic for every Massachusetts native. Applicants must have lived in Massachusetts for at least six months before entering military service, and they must fill out a residence certificate obtained from their city or town clerk or elections official, or for former residents, the clerk of the Massachusetts city or town in which they’re claiming residence.
Members still on active duty must get their commanding officer to submit a certification — available on the Massachusetts treasury Web site — along with a copy of their military identification card and orders to Iraq or Afghanistan, if it applies. Those who’ve left service must have served honorably and must submit a copy of their DD-214 discharge form.
The bonus program is similar to ongoing programs for veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
For more information, see www.mass.gov/treasury/vet.../index.htm or www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/c...bonus.htm. Veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War should contact the Massachusetts Department of Veterans Services. Or, contact the Treasury Department in Boston by telephone at (617) 367-9333, extension 539, or by e-mail.
Ellie