O hio Department Of Veterans Services County Veterans Service Offices April 14, 2010

County Veterans Service Offices / Commission Mission – To provide assistance to veterans and their family members. Guidelines for assistance and operations are defined by each Veterans Service Commission (VSC) within the provisions of the ORC Policy and procedures for daily operations are determined by the VSC.

County Veterans Service Offices / Commission Generally Five Member VSC. Members are Selected from Local Veteran Organization’s Recommendations. American Legion, AMVETS, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, and one at large veterans organization. Judge Appoints each VSC for a Five Year Term.

County Veterans Service Offices / Commission Locations – At least one office in all 88 Ohio Counties. Funding – Based on.5 of a mill per dollar on the assessed value of the property of the county. – Available funds significantly vary by county (Cuyahoga County $16 Million Vs Vinton County $76,000 in 2009) Local staff size and level of support also vary significantly.

County Veterans Service Offices Number 1 Resource for Local Veterans Needs VA Disability Claims and Pensions. – Appeal VA Claims. – Claims Follow-up Application for Federal Veterans Benefits – Medical Care – Burial Benefits – Survivor Benefits – Home Loan Guaranty – Education Benefits - Montgomery GI Bill

County Veterans Service Offices Transportation to VA Medical Appointments Financial Assistance Program Linkage to State Veterans Benefits – Employment Training – Ohio War Orphans Scholarship – KIA Service Member Spouse Tuition Waiver – Hunting / Fishing / Boating License – Special License Plates – High School Diploma Program

County Veterans Service Offices Veterans Referral Support – Ohio Cares (Mental Health) – Vet Centers (Mental Health) – Inter Service Family Support – Educational Assistance – Employment (Local and Ohio Job Family Services) – Medical Assistance – Homeless Programs – Local Veterans Organizations – Ohio Veterans Home

County Veterans Service Offices Military Discharge Appeals Request for Military Records. – National Archives – Ohio Department of Veterans Services. – Federal Department of Veterans Affairs – Ohio National Guard Library – Various Other Military Records Depositories Military Awards

Basic Statistics & Measures

Ohio Currently has the 6 th Largest Veterans Population in the Nation.

Rate of Increase 06 – Million 07 – Million 08 – Million

What Makes Up The 4.3 Billion

How Does Ohio Stack Up – (2009) Total VA Expenditure Per Veteran 1.West Virginia$9,375 2.South Dakota$5,995 3.Arkansas$5,835 4.Oklahoma$5,672 5.New Mexico$5,436 6.Mississippi$5,272 7.Nebraska$5,184 8.Maine$4,940 9.Alabama$4, Kentucky$4, Ohio$4,794 Mid West 32. Wisconsin 44. Illinois 47. Indiana 50.Michigan Large States 40. Pennsylvania 30. California 23. New York 21. Florida 12. Texas

Rate of Increase 07 – Million 08 – Million

Rate of Increase 06 – Million 07 – Million 08 – Million

How Does Ohio Stack Up? Pension Vets Per Pension Claim National Rank th th th th Dollars Per Pension Claim National Rank 2006$8,6709th 2007$9,18611th 2008$9,6356th 2009$10,4616th

How Does Ohio Stack Up? Compensation Vets Per Compensation Claim National Rank th th th th Dollars Per Compensation Claim National Rank 2006$8,09049th 2007$8,54749th 2008$9,04748th 2009$9,83045th

Local Economic Stimulus Compensation and Pension $1.3 Billion – Tax Dollars (How Many Times Do They Flip?) Medical Care $1.6 Billion – Mental Health Services (Vets and Family) – Jobs ? Education and VOC Rehabilitation $111 Million – Federally Funded Home Loans Small Business Incentives

Lake County PopBudget Spent Comp & Pension Education & Voc Rehab Insurance & Indem Medical Care Total VA Expenditure ,963$1,155,114$15,588,000$1,404,000$1,409,000$19,871,000$38,272, ,026$1,201,189$16,757,000$1,652,000$1,546,000$22,893,000$42,848, ,471$1,269,563$19,439,000$1,446,000$1,481,000$24,814,000$47,181, ,912$1,265,097$22,435,000$2,698,000$1,545,000$28,336,000$55,013,000 $16.7 Mil Dollars Invested Dollars Returned 2009 $1,265,097 $55,013,000 = 43 to 1 Return

Our Mission “To Actively Identify, Connect With, and Advocate for Veterans and Their Families” O hio Department Of Veterans Services

Enhanced Partnerships Cleveland VA Regional Office VA Healthcare System Network VISN 10 & 11 Ohio State Association of County Veterans Service Officers Ohio State Association of Veterans Service Commissioners Various State Departments State and Federal Legislators Veterans Service Organizations County Commissioners Association of Ohio Plus Many Others..

“Wouldn’t it be nice if we had the “Wouldn’t it be nice if we had the name and address of every veteran living in the State of Ohio.” Direct Marketing / Outreach

Over 400,000 Ohio Vets located as of 1 March 2010 Adding approximately 20,000 new Vets a month Primary Data Sources Sharing Agreements BMV / ODJFS Scanning DD 214s Continuing to Expand Sources ODVS Website Veterans Organizations State Agencies Plus Many More

Created in conjunction with the Ohio Department of Development. County Veteran Services Network Standard Message State Wide Phone Number Indirect Marketing

County Veterans Service Offices All Public Colleges and Universities State Government Ohio Dept. of Job and Family Services Ohio Dept. of Agriculture Ohio Dept. of Rehab and Corrections Plus Others County Commissioners Association of Ohio Ohio Association of Police Chiefs County Auditors Association of Ohio Ohio Fire Chiefs Association Ohio Association of Career Colleges and Schools Early Poster Distribution

County Commissioners Association of Ohio, Ohio Recorders Association, Ohio Library Council, Ohio Assoc. of Community Action Agencies, Ohio United Way, Coalition of Homeless and Housing in Ohio, Ohio Assoc. of Second Harvest Food Banks, Ohio Township Association, Ohio Association of Police Chiefs, Ohio Fire Chiefs Association, Ohio Chief Probation Officers Association, Assoc. of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio, County Auditors Association of Ohio, County Engineers Association of Ohio, Ohio Association of Municipal/County Court Clerks, Ohio Municipal League, Ohio Association of Community Colleges, Ohio Assoc. for Adult and Continuing Education, Ohio Assoc. of Career Colleges and Schools Early E-Poster Distribution

1-877 Ohio Vet Early Returns 2X February March

Table Top Display Cards

Drop Box Postcard Postage Paid Post Card Address Branch of Service Ideal for.. County Fairs Doctor Offices Any Place People Wait Works with Table Top Display Cards / Poster

The Ohio Council of Retail Merchants Working To Formalize A Relationship Drop Box Postcard Over 25 Companies Have Expressed an Interest in Working With ODVS. Wal-Mart Target Best Buy Giant Eagle Kroger Lowes Plus Many More…

Tracking and Measuring 1 (877) Ohio Vet Phone Number By County Tracking Ohio Department of Veterans Service Web Site By County Tracking County Self Reporting Drop Box Post Cards

In The Works!! Web Site Redesign (Job Posted) Large County Coordination Meeting (April 16 th ) Ohio OIF / OEF Bonus Outreach Public Service Ads Facebook Page Ongoing Networking ALS /Parkinson’s / Cancer

US. Department of Veterans Affairs Claims Process

ACCREDITATIONSACCREDITATIONS Communication Challenge CVSO VA Development Service Org’s Rating Decision What Are the Issues …… - No Overall System for Feedback - All CVSOs Do Not Get Rating Decisions - No Quick Corrections of Claims - No Feedback for Training – Training Focus - Lack of Best Practices – ID Common Errors - VA / VSO may Not be Legally Allowed to Communicate with CVSO - Access to the Phone Room or IT Alternative - Overall Breakdown of the Communication (VARO/VSO/CVSO) VA Phone Center VA Rater Veteran

ACCADATIONSACCADATIONS Communication Challenge CVSO VA Development Service Org’s Rating Decision What We Are Working On…… - Open the Lines of Communication - Expedite the Corrections of Claims - Improve Claims Input Quality (Feedback & Training) - Establish Best Practices – ID Common Errors - Accredit CVSOs with Veteran Organizations - Provide Rating Decisions Directly to CVSO - Improve Access to the Phone Room or IT Alternative VA Phone Center Veteran VA Rater ODVS Liaison

Cleveland VARO Compensation Checklist For Fully Developed Claims Reduce Claims Preparation Errors. Links Claims Preparer to Claim. Expedites the Compensation Claims Processing. Quick Claims Corrections Process. Claims Quality Feedback to ODVS. Allows ODVS to Provide Rating to preparer Encourages preparer to provide a higher quality of input.

Training Improvement Committee Formed to Conduct a Formal Review of CVSO and VSC Training Programs. OSAVSC, OSACVSO, and ODVS. Multiple Meetings over 4 Months. (Jul – Oct) The New 2010 Training Policy. A Policy is a Policy.

County Veterans Service Office Accreditation ODVS Certification and Training – American Legion – VFW – AMVETS – VVA Working with Other Vet Service Organizations National CVSO – Highly Recommended – Accreditations Course In Ohio - May 2010 – Continuing Education Credits

County Veterans Service Office Staff Training Mandatory CVSO Testing Every Five Years. Established Mandatory Training Subjects Replaced District with Regional Training Format. Eliminated Alternate Training Credit. Increased New Commissioners Training. Annual Training Strategic Planning Session. ODVS Training Position. Enforcement of Standards.