Ted Strickland

Honoring and Serving Ohio’s Veterans

Governor Strickland has been a strong advocate for veterans since his time as a member of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs in the U.S. House of Representatives.  In his 2008 State of the State Address, Governor Strickland called for the establishment of a cabinet-level agency to work on behalf of Ohio’s veterans.  Later that same year, he signed legislation creating the Ohio Department of Veterans Services, a cabinet-level agency.

Ohio’s Department of Veterans Services:

• Consolidates existing agencies to better serve veterans.  The Ohio Department of Veteran Services consolidated the Ohio Veterans Home Agency, the Ohio War Orphans Scholarship Board and the Governor’s Office of Veterans’ Affairs.  
• Ensures reliable services for Ohio’s veterans. The Department oversees 88 county Veteran Service Offices and serves as a liaison with over 70 Veterans Organizations.  The Department works with these organizations to ensure reliable delivery of services and to work toward new and improved benefits to meet the needs of Ohio’s veterans.  
• Coordinates resources from the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs. The Department monitors resources flowing from the U. S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs to Ohio and consults with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on program development and implementation.  
• Keeps veterans informed to maximize benefits. The Department of Veteran Services reaches out to veterans to keep them informed on the services they are entitled to and maximize the number of vets accessing the benefits they have earned by service. Outreach aimed at Ohio’s veteran population has swelled the state’s database from 4,000 veterans in early 2009 to more than 325,000 by the end of the year.

In addition to establishing the Department of Veterans Services as a cabinet-level agency, Governor Strickland took steps to ensure improved access to higher education for veterans from across the nation.  Governor Strickland worked with the Ohio Board of Regents and the Department of Veteran Services to create the Ohio GI Promise, helping to make higher education more affordable for veterans and attract more veterans with the specialized training and skills Ohio needs.  

The benefits of the Ohio GI Promise include:

• Reducing tuition for veterans. The Ohio GI Promise ensures that any veteran who has served at least one year honorably and moves to Ohio will immediately qualify for in-state tuition rates at Ohio’s public colleges and universities.  
• Ensuring service members receive the credit they’re due. The Ohio GI Promise establishes the Service-members Opportunity Colleges Consortium (SOC), which consists of Ohio’s 36 eligible public colleges and universities that have committed to awarding college credit for training and education received by veterans during their time of service.