Strickland announces plan to boost services for Ohio veterans

Strickland Announces Plan to Boost Services for Ohio Veterans

Cleveland, Ohio – In a speech today before the Ohio chapter of Veterans of Foreign Wars, gubernatorial candidate Congressman Ted Strickland proposed a comprehensive plan to enhance services for Ohio’s one million veterans, including elevating the Office of Veterans’ Affairs to a cabinet level, providing tuition relief, housing assistance and establishing a toll-free resource hotline.

“I am proud of my record in Congress as a Member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee,” Strickland said. “I’ve fought for life-saving body armor for our troops and to expand physical and mental health care services for veterans and their families. As governor, I will continue to be an outspoken advocate for Ohio’s veterans, national guardsmen and military retirees.”

By elevating and expanding the Office of Veterans’ Affairs to a cabinet level and creating an Ohio Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Strickland would emphasize education and outreach to veterans through his Promises Kept Initiative.

Strickland’s proposals include:

• Working with Ohio’s public colleges and universities to waive 75% of tuition costs for qualifying Ohio veterans.

  Working with the Ohio Housing Finance Agency and the Department of Development to target housing benefits, including the first time home-buyer program and down-payment assistance, to veterans and emergency rent and mortgage assistance to those who are currently serving and experiencing financial hardships because of their deployments.

  Establishing a toll-free hotline for veterans and military families to obtain information related to state and federal benefits and services.

  Excluding military-retiree pensions from state taxation.

  Lobbying the federal government to provide health care to nearly 10,000 Ohio veterans turned down for VA care in 2005.

  Securing state and federal funding to build two new veterans’ homes.