NEW LEGISLATION BENEFITS TROOPS/WORLD WAR II VETERANS

 HARRISBURG, AUG. 3 – State Sen. Connie Williams credited the men and women of the armed services – both past and present – for their dedication to service and their country.

 "The men and women how have served in the armed services, or are serving today deserve our support and our gratitude," Williams said. "While there is no way we can fully repay their dedication or replace their time away from their family, there are several programs that will begin to show our gratitude."

 Williams encouraged current military personnel and their families, as well as members of the Merchant Marines from World War II, to consider several new programs being offered:

 Pennsylvania Merchant Marine World War II Veterans Bonus Act (Act 22 of 2006):

What is offered: $500 payment

To qualify you must:

  • be a veteran who served on active duty, including training, in the U.S. Merchant Marine between Dec. 7, 1941 and Aug. 15, 1945.

  • be a legal resident of Pennsylvania as of April 22, 2006.

  • submit DMVA-MM-Form 1 through the County Director of Veterans' Affairs

Application deadline: Dec. 31, 2006

For more information veterans should contact their county director of Veterans' Affairs, call the Bureau for Veterans' Affairs at 1-800-547-2838, or check the DMVA Web site at www.dmva.state.pa.us.

 Association Group Life Insurance for Pennsylvania National Guard (Act 105 of 2006):
What is offered: The state will pay for National Guard members to receive the maximum available coverage ($400,000) under the servicemembers' Group Life Insurance Plan.

To qualify you must:

·        be a member of the Pennsylvania National Guard or their spouses or dependents

·        be eligible for insurance under the policy

National Guard members who are called to federal active service are eligible for $150,000 of life insurance coverage from the federal government. However, servicemen and women who wanted the maximum life insurance coverage of $400,000 had to pay the difference in premiums. The new state law will pick up that difference.

Military Survivors' Tuition Waiver (Act 105 of 2006):

What is offered: The law increases the current survivor benefit for children of Pennsylvania National Guard members who are killed while serving on federal or state duty from a 50 percent tuition credit to a 100 percent tuition credit, and it would create a 100 percent tuition credit for spouses of deceased Pennsylvania National Guard members.

To qualify you must:

·        be a child or spouse of a Pennsylvania National Guard member who died while serving active duty

·        be a Pennsylvania resident

·        be eligible for resident tuition at one of the Pennsylvania State-owned colleges, universities, approved trade schools, state-related institutions of higher learning or community colleges

Armed Forces Loan Forgiveness Program Extended:

The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency is extending its application deadline for the Armed Forces Loan Forgiveness Program to June 30, 2007. It is also extending its active duty status requirement to qualify to anyone actively serving in the Armed Forces between Sept. 11, 2001 and Dec. 31, 2006.

What is offered:  Up to $2,500 in a one-time loan forgiveness payment for student loan borrowers serving in the military.

To qualify you must:

  • be a current resident of Pennsylvania, or

  • be a non-resident who left a Pennsylvania school due to a call to active duty, or

  • be a Pennsylvania resident who was living in Pennsylvania at the time of enlistment and was in the military continuously through at least Sept. 11, 2001, regardless of current residence, or

  • be a non-resident who attended a Pennsylvania-approved institute of post-secondary education, who went directly from postsecondary enrollment into the Armed Forces and was in the military continuously through at least Sept. 11, 2001, regardless of current residence.

  • have eligible loans from PHEAA-guaranteed and/or American Education Services-owned loans serviced by AES, which include Stafford, HEAL and KeystoneEXTRA allocated on or before Sept. 30, 2003. The loan cannot be in default.

  • meet loan forgiveness program requirements.

Additionally, borrowers who only served on a two-week active duty assignment for training status during that time are not eligible, however. For more information, visit PHEAA's Web site at www.PHEAA.org.