[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6297469,"mediaKeyId","2509943-40e286bb2ff8c97309b9bfb9ee731ad6","parentId",2509943,"title","Ohio veteran service organizations ask legislature for higher operating support, more service officers","audioSeconds",1734,"startMs",2221000,"endMs",3955000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2509943-40e286bb2ff8c97309b9bfb9ee731ad6&start=2221&end=3955","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2509943-40e286bb2ff8c97309b9bfb9ee731ad6/thumbnail_2221000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6297469/Ohio/Ohio-veteran-service-organizations-ask-legislature-for-higher-operating-support-more-service-officers","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6297469-9cb765588c7483889a0b35a28ae9a93d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447719&Signature=adbyyDyNq8szP-AjqScOu8N8dMbcQ2I8LpWJQOi0LDlQs3a5yi4g3mEw6gJE0vWpx5t9kdHecFRSFXCaYaCLUvt~AuHeRopLBlwLgnsGvI~Fq6kDUTbLkH8hyeOATAtv6yMlp7YLbDHQqONnGPMGi~P5YasvtK9uBexzU6GtUkrZHnJcCKRJ~b9GyVl2Xl80MC6Iu7xKXFXje~fKpaysdRTOWIZxaMp~7l4qDzBzUkteEUTPa6agcL442u8GnrK6llSrfa-uSieOGE8yihtfDtKtzX11pZjvmd7bhv6VZRgNPpY7kLTuK3~tF7tQUN9qIR58pgDl8pGzLY7Hp83y2Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Ohio Legislature","date","2025-02-12T00:00:00Z","article","Representatives of Ohio’s major veteran service organizations told the House Public Safety Committee on Feb. 11 that state appropriations for those organizations should be increased to hire accredited service officers, expand transportation to VA appointments and sustain outreach to undercounted veterans.

Jacob Brault, legislative chair for the American Legion Department of Ohio, said the Legion uses most of its state funding for department service officers who file VA claims and help veterans access benefits. “We have over 72,000 members,” Brault told the committee, and he said the organization’s department service officers helped secure roughly $1,300,000 in awards in 2024.

Several organizations cited workloads that surged after the PACT Act. David Root, legislative chairman for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Ohio, told members that the first year after the PACT Act’s passage the VA processed roughly 1,650,000 veterans’ claims nationally and that the resulting workload has increased demand for accredited service officers. Root said the VFW currently has seven accredited service officers in Ohio located in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Dayton and that the organization would like increased funding to place a full‑time accredited service officer in Columbus.

“The VFW is one of the 13 veteran service organizations named in the biannual operating budget,” Root said. He urged the committee to consider raising the VFW subsidy from $450,000 to $475,000 to offset cost‑of‑living increases and to fund a Columbus service officer.

Other groups described how state funding is currently used and what additional support would buy. The Military Order of the Purple Heart said a 20% reduction in 2021 forced it to cut a service officer at the Cincinnati VA hospital; the Vietnam Veterans of America — Buckeye State Council reported operating a one‑man Cleveland VSO office that processed 271 claims in 2024 and said its VSO program costs approximately $125,000 annually; and the Disabled American Veterans described placing hospital transportation vans around the state with state‑appropriated funds.

Michael Stiff, adjutant of the Disabled American Veterans, told the committee that DAV and other VSOs contributed to claims that amounted to billions in federal awards over the prior two fiscal years and argued the state appropriation yields a high return on investment. “The return on your investment is immense,” he said.

Witnesses and lawmakers discussed ways to distribute increases. Merle Pratt, a long‑time VSO leader testifying for several organizations, described an approach used in a past budget cycle: apply a uniform percentage increase tied to cost‑of‑living adjustments (for example, a 6% increase) across organizations so smaller groups receive proportional increases without reworking the entire funding table.

Speakers also raised outreach and demographic concerns. Testimony noted undercounting of women veterans and veterans of color, limited local VA specialty care in parts of northwest Ohio (including gynecological care cited in Toledo’s community clinic), and obstacles to capturing veterans who are not connected to the VA or to veterans organizations. Several witnesses urged investments in county service offices and accredited service officers because those offices are the front line for filing claims that bring federal benefits into Ohio.

No formal budget votes were taken at the hearing. Witnesses submitted written testimony and committee members indicated they will continue budget deliberations; some lawmakers said they would pursue targeted increases for accredited service officers and operating support in the coming appropriations process.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Ohio House Public Safety Committee - 2-12-2025","oneSentenceSummary","Representatives of the American Legion, VFW, Disabled American Veterans and other veterans groups told the House Public Safety Committee that state funding for service officers, transportation and outreach should rise to meet demand driven by the PACT Act and rising operating costs.","taxTitle","Public Safety Committee, House of Representatives, Committees, Legislative, Ohio","taxId",79292,"location","Ohio","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6297474,"Ohio plans $183 million modernization of two veterans homes; federal funding shortfall delays full construction",511,3041000,3552000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2509943-40e286bb2ff8c97309b9bfb9ee731ad6&start=3041&end=3552","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2509943-40e286bb2ff8c97309b9bfb9ee731ad6/thumbnail_3041000.jpg","/articles/6297474/Ohio/Ohio-plans-183-million-modernization-of-two-veterans-homes-federal-funding-shortfall-delays-full-construction","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6297474-d834b4b4318c929722e9a086a81e827d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447719&Signature=X0pQ5iFTb7z-NUJLu3pW~b7JH9ykyhH4Xbapz4mng-jRTC6ewg7RkrbJ1jq0czcl4uPM-CjhkrwLVobwnMwwVi6KCEMIpWQ3igXf84LYs0Ogv-d5-PqKJi80T4lbqL9jo72SjStaM0JxFDj1n5vpmDBAROfRovIEo6OofM-zSPl-bocxVzSLAE6VvAAWwkIatFBPOCD5mgj14rhCLAf3K1OAJ27H5ez~cZoGfkKt4dF2c7UWeAIuZgSVliCvp93iRNm9SAqmV-YPNjLTQhFJY5K7Zht9ySpztkDI9kxCdWzENhXa4oXKkfEgED3I4zhI30248RW0DLe1Ni3MGq3CTA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Director Debbie Ashenhurst told the Ohio House Public Safety Committee on Feb. 11 that the Department of Veterans Services requests continued state funding to complete modernization work at the Ohio Veterans Homes in Sandusky and Georgetown, and that a shortfall in available federal appropriations has delayed full construction.

The modernization project pairs a $65,000,000 state investment with a $118,000,000 grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, creating a $183,000,000 project to update both homes. Ashenhurst said state funds have been used to begin design work, secure preliminary approvals and start site preparation while the department waits for federal appropriations to cover the remaining construction costs.

The project focuses on converting multi‑occupancy rooms to single‑occupancy accommodations, improving infection control and updating clinical and living spaces. “The primary objective of this modernization effort is to transition both of those skilled nursing facilities into single occupancy rooms,” Ashenhurst said in testimony.

Ashenhurst, director of the Ohio Department of Veterans Services, described the Sandusky campus as a 99‑acre facility built in 1888 with more than 600 beds that serves wartime veterans across a continuum from independent living to memory care. She testified that the Georgetown home, opened in 2003, has 68 beds. She said the department engaged architectural firms in early 2024, submitted initial designs to the VA over the summer and received federal approval for the projects in October 2024, but that available federal appropriations were insufficient in the first fiscal year to fund full construction.

Committee members pressed Ashenhurst on siting future veterans homes. Representative Willis asked, “Where does that next stage lead us in selecting where the next veteran home goes, and how do we prepare to get that rolling?” Ashenhurst said the department completed a study a few years ago showing veteran population density and potential sites and recommended revisiting and updating that analysis, noting potential interest from northeastern Ohio and a likely need in central Ohio outside Columbus.

On schedule, the department is doing preparatory work at both campuses: Sandusky site preparation and utility infrastructure, and initial structural work at Georgetown. Ashenhurst said the state funds were intentionally spent early to qualify and leverage the larger federal grant and to reduce delay once federal appropriations are released.

Committee members also asked about timelines. Sean McCarthy, identified in testimony as the department’s project lead, estimated that construction would take about two years from the date federal funding is available.

Ashenhurst emphasized the share of the department budget tied to the homes: she said nearly 90% of the requested budget supports the two Ohio Veterans Homes and that the department’s remaining programs focus on workforce, county veteran service training and outreach. She also cited external recognition: she told the committee the two homes were ranked among the state’s top nursing homes in a 2024 Newsweek evaluation.

Ashenhurst closed by thanking the committee and welcoming questions as the department continues design and preparatory site work while awaiting appropriations.

The committee did not take a vote on the projects during the hearing; Ashenhurst described ongoing preparatory work and asked the legislature to sustain state support as federal funds are finalized.","Director Debbie Ashenhurst told the House Public Safety Committee that state funds combined with an expected federal grant would finance modernization of the Ohio Veterans Homes in Sandusky and Georgetown, but limited federal appropriations mean full construction is delayed while site work continues.","actionData","errors"]

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Ohio veteran service organizations ask legislature for higher operating support, more service officers

Ohio plans $183 million modernization of two veterans homes; federal funding shortfall delays full construction