Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Veterans Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senator backs bill to verify veteran status of incarcerated individuals and connect them to services
Summary
Senator Johnson introduced Senate Bill 179 to require correctional institutions to integrate the Veterans Reentry Search Service (VRSS) to identify incarcerated veterans (cited as roughly 2,582, about 5.97% of Ohio's prison population in a 2021 report) and to help connect them to VA and local veteran services; the committee held the first hearing and took no vote.
Senator Johnson provided sponsor testimony on Senate Bill 179, which would require Ohio correctional institutions to integrate the Veterans Reentry Search Service (VRSS) into jail registries to identify and verify veteran status for incarcerated individuals and to assist those identified in contacting veteran support services.
Citing data he attributed to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Johnson said, "roughly 2,582 veterans are incarcerated here in Ohio, making up 5.97 percent of our prison population." He described VRSS as a program run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that allows the judicial system to identify and track inmates using their military records.
Under the bill as described in testimony, once an individual is identified through VRSS, correctional institutions would be required to verify veteran status and eligibility and to assist the individual in contacting services such as the VA, county veterans service commissions, local veteran service organizations, a representative of Veterans Justice Outreach, and other federal, state, or local resources that may be available. Senator Johnson also said county veterans service commissions would be required to assist veteran treatment courts in establishing outreach programs.
Johnson framed SB 179 as a measure to improve reentry outcomes: by identifying veterans and connecting them to services, he said many would receive assistance that could aid reintegration into civilian life. The committee heard the sponsor's testimony in a first hearing; Vice Chair Wilson closed the hearing for questions and the committee took no recorded vote during this session.
