Delaware County Veterans Service Commission: Financial Assistance

The Delaware County Veterans Service Commission is the county's commission under Revised Code chapter 5901; see the Ohio entry on county veterans service commissions. Its office is on the ground floor of the Historic Courthouse, 91 North Sandusky Street, Delaware 43015 (740-833-2010, fax 740-833-2019), answered by phone 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and open in person 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The board of five commissioners sits as the veterans organizations' designees: president Richard Ray (Disabled American Veterans), vice president David Hyatt (American Veterans), secretary John McAllister (Military Order of the Purple Heart and Vietnam Veterans of America), Jeff Hill (American Legion) and Richard Mason (Veterans of Foreign Wars), and it meets the second and fourth Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at the office. The director is Brian Galligher and the deputy director William Piwtorak; the county's 2027 budget for the commission is $2,805,100, of which $490,000 is client services. The programmes. Financial assistance is offered in three tiers keyed to gross household income against the current year's federal poverty level, and in every one of them the household's expenses must exceed its net income. At 300 per cent of poverty or less, the commission helps with most monthly bills, rent or mortgage, and emergency home and car repairs. At 150 per cent of poverty or less, the veteran receives $400 of gift cards a quarter. Each programme's finer rules are discussed at the application appointment, since the commission says the programmes are individualized. The commission's own limits. Its pages publish no caps, but its minutes do: a $12,000 limit of assistance a veteran, an annual limit of $7,500, and a limit of five times a year, each of which the board can waive by motion for a particular veteran, and often does. A request beyond a cap goes to the board at its next meeting; an application must be filed in person no later than one business day before that meeting. The minutes also show the board waiving the income threshold itself, and conditioning large awards - rent with the veteran's car payments, or half of every bill - on the veteran's seeking financial counselling, which the office arranges. How to apply. Bring the checklist to a first appointment: the application; the DD-214, without which nothing can occur; proof of residency showing 90 days in the county; proof of income under the 300 per cent threshold (gross); 60 days of bank statements; and proof that expenses exceed net income. A married applicant or one with dependents adds the marriage licence or divorce decree, a deceased veteran's death certificate for a surviving spouse, and children's birth certificates or proof of court-ordered parenting. Car repairs want two estimates, the registration and a valid driver's licence; other repairs want two estimates. Who qualifies. The statute's test in Revised Code 5901.01(B) and 5901.08, in the county's words: active duty at some point in the enlistment, training alone not counted; discharge honourable or under honourable conditions; and a bona fide resident of Delaware County for 90 days before applying. The commission's eligibility page adds that Guard and reserve members activated for at least 90 days of federal active duty under Title 10, for other than training, are eligible. No rating is needed. An emergency, the page says, exists when the applicant's funds have been depleted by a catastrophic event; low funds from the veteran's own careless spending are not an emergency. Claims and other help. The office's accredited service officers file VA claims and appeals, help recover lost documents, order replacement medals from the National Archives, and notarize documents for veterans and surviving spouses free. The commission also funds the MASH Pantry, which serves about 150 veterans and surviving spouses a month: in 2026 it approved a forklift for the pantry of up to $16,000, and $500 a month for Ensure drinks for veterans who need them. Burial. Section 5901.25 has the commission bury or cremate a veteran, or a veteran's parent, spouse or surviving spouse, who died without means, with up to $1,000 from the county (see the Ohio entry). No page of the county or the commission describes its practice, so call 740-833-2010 before signing a funeral contract.