Source Information

Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, U.S., Veteran Compensation Application Files, WWII, 1950-1966 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
Original data: Pennsylvania (State). World War II Veterans Compensation Applications, circa 1950s. Records of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Record Group 19, Series 19.92 (877 cartons). Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

About Pennsylvania, U.S., Veteran Compensation Application Files, WWII, 1950-1966

Following World War II, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania paid honorably discharged veterans and those still in service a bonus compensation. This collection includes more than 1.1 million Veterans Compensation Application Files. In addition to compensation applications, these files sometimes include letters, certificates, and photographs. The records are arranged by service branch, then alphabetically by the surname of the veteran.

Applications for Compensation asked the following:

  • Name (and name under which veteran served)
  • Address
  • Date and place of birth
  • Service dates
  • Service/serial numbers
  • Whether on active duty at the time of application
  • Gender and branch of service
  • Residence at the time of entry to service
  • Draft board if drafted
  • Amount of compensation
  • Name and address of beneficiaries (wife, children, and/or parents)
  • Naval stations or posts
  • Signature and date

Note: The majority of these applications (more than 96 percent) were submitted in 1950, though more than 6,500 applications were submitted after this, from 1951 to 1966.