OHIO WAR BONUS
PERSION GULF/OEF/OIF VETERANS
Click here to submit application online at the Ohio Department of Veteran Services
Need help filling out your application or with finding military documentation? Please call 513-732-7363 for an appointment with our county veteran service officers.
Bonus Facts click here
For eligibility requirements click here
Veterans Bonus Program - Definition of Terms click here
VA Makes Applying for Health Care Benefits Faster for Veterans
Elimination of Online Signature Requirement Speeds Access to Care
WASHINGTON – As part of Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki’s effort to streamline access to benefits, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has removed the signature requirement for Veterans who electronically submit an online 10-10EZ “Application for Health Benefits.”
“This singular action will reduce days, if not weeks, for Veterans who apply online to access their hard-earned medical benefits and upholds the promise to reduce access barriers to needed care for this Nation’s Veterans,” said Shinseki.
Previously, Veterans filling out the online application were required to print a copy, sign it and send to their local medical center or wait for a copy to be mailed to them for signature and mailing before enrollment into the VA healthcare system could occur.
News From The Front
IRAQ
As Combat Mission Ends, A New U.S. Operation Begins
(Wall Street Journal)
By Nathan Hodge
The U.S. mission in Iraq is set to undergo a major rebranding on Wednesday, when Vice President Joe Biden presides over a change-of-command ceremony in Baghdad marking the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the campaign that began in March 2003, and the beginning of a military assistance mission called Operation New Dawn.
A Conflicted Iraq
(Los Angeles Times)
By Liz Sly
Seven and a half years after then-President George W. Bush attacked Iraq, Baghdad is a battered and weary city whose streets still bear the scars of a still inconclusive war, and whose residents are still groping to comprehend the magnitude of the changes that turned their lives upside down.
After Years Of War, Few Iraqis Have A Clear View Of The Future
(New York Times)
By Anthony Shadid
The invasion of Iraq, occupation and tumult that followed were called Operation Iraqi Freedom back then. It will be named New Dawn on Wednesday.
AFGHANISTAN
U.S. Troop Deaths In Afghan War Up Sharply
(Washington Post)
By David Nakamura
Twenty-two American troops have been killed in Afghanistan over the past five days, a spike that follows record-high death tolls for U.S. forces in June and July.
Afghan Government Moves To Bolster Leading Bank
(New York Times)
By Dexter Filkins
The Afghan government intervened to shore up a deeply troubled bank on Tuesday, sending shock waves through the capital and prompting fears that Afghanistan’s pervasive corruption had now put the country’s entire financial system at risk.
Gas Sickened Girls In Afghan Schools
(New York Times)
By Rod Nordland
Blood tests have confirmed that a mysterious series of cases of mass sickness at girls’ schools across the country over the last two years were caused by a powerful poison gas, an Afghan official said Tuesday.
Tricare prices set for gray-area retirees
Tricare health benefits for so-called “gray area” retirees will cost $388.31 a month for single coverage and $976.41 a month for families, under proposed rules for the new program announced Friday. The health benefits could be available by Oct. 1. [ Read More ]
DoD to troops: Tell buddies about stop-loss pay
With an Oct. 21 deadline approaching to apply for a $500 monthly stop-loss allowance, the Defense Department appears to have exhausted most conventional means of trying to contact eligible veterans and is now asking current service members to get involved by calling any buddies who may be eligible. [ Read More ]
U.S. represented at Hiroshima memorial event
HIROSHIMA, Japan — The site of the world’s worst atomic bomb attack echoed with the choirs of schoolchildren and the solemn ringing of bells Friday as Hiroshima marked its biggest memorial yet, and the first to be attended by the U.S. and other major nuclear powers. [ Read More ]
Federal Government Launches Veteran Resource Directory
The Departments of Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs recently launched a new and improved National Resource Directory. The directory is designed to serve a broad base of users including wounded warriors, service members, Veterans, their families and caregivers by providing a useful tool for supporting service providers, such as Recovery Care Coordinators, Federal Recovery Coordinators, health care providers and case managers at Veterans Service Organizations.
Visit the site
Post-9/11 GI Bill scholarship program begins
Applications will be accepted beginning May 1 for a new scholarship program that lets the children of some deceased service members tap into Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. [ Read More ]
Background on the VA Gulf War Veterans Illness Task Force
This week, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced that the department's Gulf War Task Force report was nearly completed. For those seeking additional information on the report, we've provided the following background facts.
House of Representatives Opens Jobs for Wounded Warriors Across the Country
The Wounded Warrior Program was created to provide Veterans with work experience and exposure to broaden their transition opportunities. Positions are available in Congressional Member district offices nationwide.
Mission Statement
To oversee the operation of the Veterans' Service Office; to provide emergency financial assistance to veterans, spouses, dependent children and surviving spouses; and to assist veterans in obtaining earned benefits from the federal, state, and local levels of government.