The Ohio Department of Veterans Services (ODVS) is the organization of state government responsible for identifying, connecting with, and advocating for veterans and their families. ODVS is headquartered in Columbus

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

, Ohio and is part of the executive branch

Executive (government)

Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...

 of the Ohio

Government of Ohio

The government of the state of Ohio comprises three branches executive, legislative, and judicial. Its basic structure is set forth in the Ohio Constitution.-Executive Branch:...

 state government

State government

A state government is the government of a subnational entity in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or be subject to the direct control of the federal government...

. The Director of Veterans Services is part of the Governor's Cabinet

Cabinet of the Governor of Ohio

The statutes of the State of Ohio have established 26 departments of government which are responsible to the Governor. These departments are led by the Director, or in some cases the Commissioner, who must inform and assist the governor in the operation of the state...

.

History

The Department grew out of the 1990s-era Governor’s Office of Veterans Affairs (GOVA). This organization, working with Ohio legislators, formulated basic changes to laws which began the process of standardizing the operations of the 88 CVSOs, entities which were created in the late 19th century to care for Civil War veterans.

In 2006, a study published by the Institute for Defense Analysis (IDA) provided a major impetus toward the department’s formation. The study said that Ohio was 50th in terms of the per capita dollar amount that veterans in the state received in compensation from the VA. Shortly after, Gov. Ted Strickland

Ted Strickland

Theodore "Ted" Strickland was the 68th Governor of Ohio, serving from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, representing ....

 convened a study commission of veterans organizations that unanimously recommended the formation of the department.

In 2008, Ohio established the Department of Veterans Services with the passage of Senate Bill 289 in the 127th Ohio General Assembly

127th Ohio General Assembly

The 127th Ohio General Assembly was the legislative body of the state of Ohio in 2007 and 2008. The biennium corresponded with the final days the Bob Taft administration, and the first two years of Ted Strickland's tenure as Ohio Governor. The districts were drawn in accordance to the 2000 United...

, a bill sponsored by Sen. Robert Spada

Robert Spada

Robert F. Spada is a former Republican member of the Ohio Senate, representing the 24th District of the U.S. state of Ohio from 1999 to 2008.- External links :* official Ohio Senate website* profile*Follow the Money - Robert F Spada...

 and passed with bipartisan support. The mission of the ODVS is to actively identify, connect with, and advocate for veterans and their families. Senate Bill 289 defined the mission and gave the department the responsibility to work directly with the county veterans service officers (CVSOs) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), as well as with the various veterans service organizations and other concerned associations.

Former state legislator and Korean War-era veteran Bill Hartnett was named by Governor Strickland as the first Director of ODVS.

Responsibilities and Programs

The Department has a wide range of responsibilities, including those defined in section 5902.02 of the Ohio Revised Code

Ohio Revised Code

The Ohio Revised Code contains all acts passed by the Ohio General Assembly and signed by the governor. The Ohio Revised Code replaced the Ohio General Code in 1953. However the current organization and form of the Ohio Revised Code Title 29 was completely re-written and issued into law by the...

 (O.R.C.). ODVS advises the Governor on the state of veterans' affairs in Ohio and work as a liaison with other levels of government agencies. It has operational oversight of the 88 County Veterans Service Offices along with oversight of training, certification, and accreditation of more than 600 county veterans service officers, commissioners and staff. It monitors the federal money that comes into the State of Ohio from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and works with the VA on program development, implementation and operations. It address the issues and concerns of more than 70 Veterans Service Organizations. It also keeps 1.7 million records of Ohio veterans who served in WWII, Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

, Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

, and OIF

OIF

-Geoengineering:*Ocean Iron Fertilization, the practice of adding iron or iron compounds to the ocean to stimulate phytoplankton growth-Formats:*Object Interchange Format, a database management protocol developed by the Object Data Management Group-Foundations:...

/OEF

OEF

OEF may refer to:*Operation Enduring Freedom*Operational efficiency factor*Order of Ecumenical Franciscans*Obscene Extreme Festival...

. It is the administrative agent of The Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame. It is the legislative agent for the Office of the Governor regarding any legislation relating to Ohio veterans and their needs.

Veterans Homes

When the department was created it assumed responsibility for the Ohio Veterans Homes (OVH). The homes provide direct nursing home care at facilities in Sandusky

Sandusky, Ohio

Sandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Erie County. It is located in northern Ohio and is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, almost exactly half-way between Toledo to the west and Cleveland to the east....

 and Georgetown

Georgetown, Ohio

Georgetown is a village in Brown County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,691 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Brown County. Georgetown was the childhood home of Ulysses S...

 as well as domiciliary living to qualified veterans in Sandusky. The Sandusky home opened in 1888 to care for veterans of the Civil War

Civil war

A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....

. The home in Georgetown is much newer, having opened in 2003. There are a total of 767 beds maintained between the two homes.

Director

The current director is Colonel Thomas Moe (U.S. Air Force retired). In 1968 his F-4 Phantom was forced down by a weapon malfunction about 20 miles into enemy territory. Although he was able to evade capture for three days, he was eventually captured and held as a POW for over five years until his release during Operation Homecoming

Operation Homecoming

Operation Homecoming was a series of diplomatic negotiations that in January 1973 made possible the return of 591 American prisoners of war held by North Vietnam. On Feb. 12, 1973, three C-141 transports flew to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and one C-9A aircraft was sent to Saigon, South Vietnam to pick...

 in 1973. In 1995 Director Moe retired from the Air Force after serving 30 years active duty and having served in a number of command and staff positions including commander of a combat-ready fighter squadron and vice commander of the Air Force Logistics Command

Air Force Logistics Command

Air Force Logistics Command was a United States Air Force command. Its headquarters was located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio...

 Office of the Inspector General. He earned 24 awards and decorations including two Silver Stars, the Defense Superior Service Medal

Defense Superior Service Medal

The Defense Superior Service Medal is a senior United States military decoration of the Department of Defense, awarded to members of the United States armed forces who perform "superior meritorious service in a position of significant responsibility."...

, two Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross

Distinguished Flying Cross

The Distinguished Flying Cross may refer to:*Distinguished Flying Cross , including Commonwealth countries*Distinguished Flying Cross...

, the Bronze Star Medal for valor, two Purple Heart

Purple Heart

The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...

s, and seven Air Medals.