7 Things County Veterans Service Offices Do That Many Ohio Veterans Miss
It’s Veterans Day, and some Ohio county veterans service offices will drive you to your VA appointment.
A lot of veterans don’t know their county office does that, or much of what else it offers.
Here are the things county veterans service offices do that many Ohio veterans miss.
Note: This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Benefit rules and county services are subject to change, so confirm the current details with the Ohio Department of Veterans Services.
1. Filing VA Claims
Your county veterans service office will help you file a claim with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), along with the applications that go with it.
The state’s Find a CVSO page has information and links for all 88 county offices.
Stark County’s veterans service commission says its county officers are accredited and can file for benefits from the VA and the State of Ohio.
The list includes service-connected compensation, VA healthcare enrollment, education benefits, and home loan guaranty certificates.
You can call for an appointment.
Or send an online request.
What Accredited Means for Your Claim
A county veterans service office isn’t the only place that offers claims help, so it pays to know what accredited means.
The VA recognizes three kinds of accredited representatives: Veterans Service Organization (VSO) representatives, attorneys, and claims agents.
The VA says an accredited VSO representative’s services on your benefit claims are always free.
An accredited attorney or claims agent can charge you fees for their services.
Before you sign an appointment form, ask your county veterans service office which organization to name on it.
2. Short-Term Financial Aid
County veterans service offices give you and your family short-term financial help, and the amount and type vary by county.
In Fulton County, the commission decides what counts as an emergency or hardship.
Its list of aid includes rent, food, utilities, and medical transportation.
Geauga County’s veterans office says its financial help covers rent or mortgage, electric, gas or fuel oil, water, and food.
Ohio law requires applicants to have lived in the county for at least 90 days.
Each application is decided case by case.
Applications are by appointment.
The office takes applications Tuesday through Thursday.
Its list of papers to bring starts with your discharge paper, the DD-214.
The list also includes proof of all your household income and three months of bank statements.
It asks for proof that you’ve requested help from Jobs and Family Services and the United Way too.
3. Military Records
Fulton County’s burial page tells you to call its office to request your DD-214.
Its number is listed.
Geauga County’s veterans office lists requesting military awards and medals among the things its accredited officers can help with.
Stark County lists upgrading or correcting a discharge, and Geauga County lists upgrading or correcting DD 214s.
The state says to contact your county veterans service office with questions about military records.
4. Burial and Headstone Paperwork
Your county veterans service office can explain the burial and memorial requirements.
Fulton County’s veterans service office says its staff can help you fill out the application for a government headstone.
It also takes applications for Presidential Memorial Certificates.
Each certificate bears the president’s signature and recognizes a veteran’s service.
The county also lists an indigent burial benefit for families who can’t pay a funeral bill in full when the veteran has no savings or insurance.
The funeral home files it.
Psst! How much do you know about Veterans Day and Ohio’s veterans? Take our quiz and see if you can ace it.
Quiz
Veterans Day IQ
Answer these questions on Veterans Day and Ohio’s veterans services. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?
In what year did the Ohio Veterans Bonus Program officially end?
5. Rides to VA Appointments
Some county veterans service offices drive veterans to VA medical appointments.
Fulton County's office provides rides to area VA medical facilities and asks you to schedule a week ahead.
Fulton County wants your discharge on file before it books a ride.
Geauga County's office drives veterans to Wade Park and to clinics in Willoughby, Akron, Parma, Ravenna, and Warren.
It asks you to schedule two weeks ahead and to be able to walk without another person's help.
The catch?
You can't claim VA mileage reimbursement for a trip on county transportation.
Call your county veterans service office to ask whether it runs rides.
6. VA Pension Applications
The state says your county veterans service officer can explain VA pension requirements and help you complete the application.
The VA says veterans who are at least 65, or permanently and totally disabled, may be eligible if their income and net worth fall within Congress's limits.
Geauga County's office lists a non-service-connected pension, with Aid and Attendance, among the VA benefits it helps with.
VA says Aid and Attendance adds monthly payments to a VA pension for qualified veterans and survivors who need help with daily activities.
Geauga lists survivor's pension too.
A survivors pension pays monthly to qualified surviving spouses and unmarried dependent children of wartime veterans.
7. Veteran ID Cards
Your county veterans service office may issue a Veteran ID card, and in some counties the county recorder does it instead.
The state says most Ohio counties offer the card for free.
Where a county does charge, Ohio law caps the fee at $2.
The card displays your photograph and military service dates.
Ohio law has you present your armed forces discharge record for recording and two forms of current ID, one with a photograph.
Summit County asks for a DD-214 that shows an honorable discharge status.
Recording it with the county recorder leaves a duplicate record, in case you need a certified copy later.
If you enlisted from Ohio and asked for a copy to be sent back to the state, the Ohio Department of Veterans Services may have your discharge on file.
Its request form has to carry the veteran's signature.
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