Ross County — Leaders of the Ross County Veterans Commission met with the Ross County Commissioners Tuesday on a funding concern. I also asked the Veterans Commission to explain what they do.
Board member Bob Leach, U.S Army (ret.), is very active with veterans activities in Chillicothe and Ross County (and I have worked with and interviewed him for many veterans’ and historical events).
He and Veterans Service Office director Stacey Boroff said that they are the county representatives of the state that makes sure that U.S. veterans get what they earned in their service. The Veterans Service Office operates under state law and the Ross County Commissioners.
Boroff said she files claims for veterans and their dependents and heirs, from food and travel assistance…to funeral expenses and markers.
She said the best way to find out what benefits veterans have a right to is to come in to their office in the Ross County Service Center at 475 Western Avenue. You can also phone 740 / 772-1600 or visit their website or Facebook page.
Leach explained that the Ross County Veterans Commission is firmly connected to veterans organization – the board is set up so that there is one representative from each of the five local veterans organizations, such as AmVets and American Legion. Each commissioner has a five-year term, and is appointed by local judges.
He also emphasized that the Ross County Veterans COMMISSION and its office is different from the Ross County Veterans COUNCIL – the council is a consortium of the five local veterans organizations, and includes the Honor Guard who make appearances at events such as Memorial Day and veteran’s and law enforcement funerals.
The Veterans Service Commission was speaking with the county commissioners because they felt they were underfunded for 2025. In the discussion, the commissioners and auditor explained that state law allocates up to 0.5 mils of county revenue for veterans. That meant the commission could be funded up to $919K for 2024, though they spent only about $600K.
The state said that the commission could be funded $924K for 2025, and the commissioners had budgeted $757K. The veterans commission felt they were being underfunded, but the county commissioners told them that they would gladly give additional appropriations as needed.
Part of the veterans commission’s concern was that they are having increasing expenses for veterans’ burials.
Director Stacey Boroff explained that although we have had recent wars and thus younger veterans – Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the Glocal War on Terror – a majority of surviving veterans served in older wars. Though there are no local survivors from World War I, and almost none from World War II, those who served in the Korean and Vietnam wars are now in their 70s and 80s.
As listed on their website, the Veterans Service Commission pays for “funeral / burial assistance, plots, government headstones, flags and standards.” Those costs are increasing as more veterans are dying, and thus the commission is paying out more.
Her them in their own words in the below interview video.
