Fairfield County Veterans Service Commission: Van Rides to VA Appointments

Every Ohio commission must arrange regular transport to the VA medical centres serving the county (Revised Code 5901.03(H); see the Ohio entry). The Fairfield County commission drives veterans to "the various VA medical centers" for their appointments. Its rules: all scheduling is through the Veterans Service Office at 740-652-7920, at least 48 hours before the VA appointment, and never with the van driver; riders are scheduled first come, first served whatever the order of the VA appointments; the rider must call the office before the appointment to verify it, and the driver calls the day before with a pick-up time; riders are taken from home and returned there. Cancellations go through the office, because the VA does not notify it of changes. Travel pay. A rider receiving VA travel pay is told to tell the VA's travel section that the commission provided the ride: "Collecting travel pay while riding our vans is fraud, and under federal law you could be punished." The page lists the VA's own mileage reimbursement classes - veterans rated 30 per cent or more service-connected, those travelling for treatment of a service-connected condition, pension recipients, those attending compensation or pension examinations, and those whose income is under the maximum pension rate - none of which can be collected for a van ride. Destinations. The page names no clinic; the commission's resources list points at the Chillicothe VA Medical Center and the Lancaster VA clinic, both in VA's Chillicothe system. The county's adopted 2026 budget carries $11,000 of vehicle maintenance for the commission, whose van driver is "a county employee paid by the Veterans Service Commission."