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YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Servicemembers who have suffered a traumatic injury since Oct. 7, 2001, may be retroactively eligible for as much as $100,000, according to a Department of Veterans Affairs message.

Troops who suffered one of several types of injury, including amputation, brain injury or burns, now qualify for compensation under the Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance Traumatic Injury Protection program, regardless of where they were injured, according to the message released Friday.

Recent passage of the Veterans Benefits Act of 2010 granted eligibility to servicemembers who suffered traumatic injuries between Oct. 7, 2001 and Nov. 30, 2005.

Previously, servicemembers were eligible only if they suffered the injuries in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, or if they had suffered the injuries anywhere else since Dec. 1, 2005.

The new federal law also allows servicemembers who did not have the life insurance plan at the time of their injury to claim compensation, according to the message. The injuries did not have to occur on active duty, according to the message.

For information on eligibility, go to www.insurance.va.gov/sgliSite/TSGLI/TSGLI.htm

From staff reports

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