Greene County Veterans Service Commission: Emergency Financial Assistance

The Greene 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 at 571 Ledbetter Road, Xenia 45385 (937-562-6020), weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Claims help is open to veterans wherever they live; assistance and transport are for county residents. What it pays. Temporary help with housing, utilities, food and hygiene items, car repairs and basic living costs, paid directly to the landlord or vendor, never as a reimbursement. Anyone approved can also get money management counselling. Its published policy, GCVS-02, will not pay rental deposits, loans or cash advances, child support, taxes, legal fees, fines or bail, satellite, cable or internet bills, tuition, or a vehicle purchase, and nothing to a relative or partner living in the home (a relative who owns a rental the applicant leases is the exception). A car repair is considered up to 20% of the vehicle's Blue Book value and no more than $4,000, once. Who is refused under the policy. Anyone whose household income exceeds necessary expenses; whose hardship comes from extravagant or irresponsible spending, from quitting a job or being fired for cause, or from wilful misconduct; whose difficulty is permanent rather than temporary (they are referred elsewhere); anyone able to work who is not actively and documentably seeking work; a student who was not a county resident before enrolling or who does not work 20 hours a week; anyone incarcerated; and anyone who appears to be using drugs or alcohol, who is referred to treatment instead. A former spouse with custody of the veteran's children can be helped for the children's sake. How to apply. Complete the financial assistance packet, with the DD-214 (member 4 copy), an Ohio driver's licence or state ID, three months of statements for every bank account and of income for everyone in the home, the original current bills, family certificates, a written statement of the emergency, and Ohio Means Jobs registration or a doctor's certificate if not working. Every applicant has a face-to-face interview. An incomplete application expires after 30 days. A refusal can be appealed in writing within 15 days and argued in person before the commission. Who qualifies, and where the two documents disagree. Both the website and policy start from the statute: a veteran under 5901.01(B), discharged under honorable conditions with active duty other than for training, or an active-duty member, or the spouse, surviving spouse, dependent parent, minor child or ward of either, resident 90 days (5901.08). The website then says the veteran "must have served at least one day of active duty outside of training". The policy, section 4.3, requires "not less than 90 days" of active duty, with consideration for less if the discharge was for a service-connected disability, hardship, a medical condition or completion of the obligated service. The statute sets no minimum length, so a veteran with less than 90 days should apply and cite 5901.01(B) and the website. The Ohio ID requirement is also the commission's own. No rating is needed. Burial. Section 5901.25 has every 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). The commission's site does not describe its practice; call before signing a funeral contract.