Athens County Veterans Service Commission

Every Ohio county has a veterans service commission under Revised Code chapter 5901; see the Ohio entry for the statutory scheme and what the commission may do. The commission's own Mission Statement page opens with Lincoln's promise - "To fulfill President Abraham Lincoln's promise, 'To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan'" - and continues: "The Athens County Veterans' Service Commission will assist the veterans of Athens County Ohio, their families and dependents, and upon their death their surviving spouse and children, by providing individual guidance in determining their eligibility for VA or other NGO support, along with referrals for specialized help and training, if required, and, where necessary and appropriate, direct financial assistance." The officeholders. The commission board: Jeffery Havens (VFW, President); James Koska (American Legion, Vice President); Gary Vermillion (AMVETS, Secretary); Frederick Johnson (VFW, Member at Large); Tanya Johnson (VFW, Member at Large). The staff: Kim Spencer, Senior VSO; John Woods, Office Manager/VSO; Brian Artrip, Administrative Assistant. The office: 88 North Plains Road, Suite 102, The Plains, OH 45780; 740-592-3216, fax 740-592-3217 (the ODVS CVSO listing carries the fax); hours Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed federal holidays. The commission meets the first and third Monday at 4:00 p.m. (Tuesday if the Monday is a holiday); minutes available on request. Financial assistance. "Financial Assistance is a short-term temporary program to assist Veterans and their dependents on an emergency basis. Financial Assistance is not a pension, income supplement or an automatic entitlement program." Applicants file a completed and signed application with income, expense and ID verifications, submitted to the office by 4 p.m. the Thursday prior to the first and third Mondays of each month; approved applications are payable directly to the debt holder, and the programme focuses on shelter (mortgage, rent), utilities (electric, gas, water), health care and other approved needs. The office's other programmes, on the site's own pages: travel reimbursement for VA-facility or VA-consult visits (proof within 30 days, amounts by appointment location); medication, vision and dental assistance (applications with receipts no more than 30 days old; reimbursements may not exceed $300 per fiscal year for a single person or $500 for a household); and will assistance, under which local attorneys provide estate-planning services to veterans and widows under agreed-upon terms, needing a DD-214 with a General or higher character of discharge. The office's year. See the Commissioners' record in this round's header: Kim Spencer presented the 2027 budget twice (May 27 and September 29, 2026), the Court ratified a $6,000 30-day credit-card increase for the office (June 30, 2026), and the Sons of Union Veterans' $500 was redirected with the Court's approval (August 25, 2026).