This was in today's news....really? A "Christmas bonus" for Ohio vets? Sounds great right?? Oh.....but it's only for a select few vets....the OIF/OEF vets; I guess the rest of us are just dog shit.


COLUMBUS, Ohio -- State leaders want to give a Christmas bonus to Ohio veterans, but they can't agree on how to pay for it.

House Speaker Jon Husted and Senate President Bill Harris, both Republicans, want to use existing state funds to pay for the bonuses. Husted says one possibility is the state's rainy day fund, which currently has about $750 million.

But Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat, wants to pay for them the same way it's been done in the past -- through bonds.

The leaders will have to reach an agreement during the current lame-duck legislative session if the bonuses are to be paid in time for Christmas.

Veterans who served in the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War and the current Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts would get $1,000 each

Maryland don't give Veterans no money

Thats a nice gesture, to bad they could not include all vets. But, I dont think 750 million would cover it. Maybe there concern for vets well being will spill over to straighting out the Cleveland VARO.

Purple,
What is the source of the story? I agree it is not fair to all vets, but since I am an OIF vet.......

squid-
i found it on-line in the Dayton Daily News a couple of days ago....not sure where DDN got it.

Thanks Purple, and I hope your day gets better. It definitely didn't start out to well.

RickyDee here and I would sure like to get my hands on some of that mula

Hi I am a Warrior Transition Battalion Spouse of an OH Soldier. About the bonus I spoke to the reporter who wrote the article, William Hershey. He called me after I e-mailed him about our situation & our interest in this bonus. He gave me a number to call about the bonus for questions & how you can help get a fire lit under those who are dragging their feet. The number for OH Soldiers to call is 614-644-7718. As for the distrabution of money it is as follows $1000 for those who served in Iraq & Afghanastan, $500 for those serving OIF & OEF in other areas. Families of those killed in action is $5000. One of the hold ups is Gov Strickland so you should write & call his office as I am doing. Remind him he has voiced about helping military families so he needs to get off his laurels & get this done. After all we military families don't live in mansions like he does or have big banks accounts like him. Which is paid for with our tax dollars! So lets get this done for the kids of these Vets before Christmas is here & all the stores & grocries are closed.

I also wanted to say yes I do believe our Govt should do more for all Vets. I also know the unequal treatment of Soldiers of OIF & OEF according to where you were based in relation to Kuwait & Iraq. I am talking about the difference of benefits based on your location. My husband was in Kuwait but he also went into Iraq & a few of those times he was in Baghdad. However that doesn't seem to matter to the powers that be. He was injured & worked hard in support of the same war as those based inside Iraq. We get the shaft on a lot of stuff. Since his return in May to the States we have had expenses out of our own pockets at least $4300. This was so we could go be with him for surgery & help with follow up care for 2 weeks. It also includes his flight home for Convalescent leave & several other things the Army won't cover. It all stems from your base location for the war. My hubby is OHARNG but in a WTB in GA for wounded soldiers for now. His civilian employer closed down so if they get him well enough he doesn't have a job to come back to. So all this money we are spending we could be saving to live off of until that would all get worked out. I know your thinking geeze this is about the Christmas Bonus for OH Vets. I just wanted to point out all Vets are not treated equal even those that are OIF & OEF in comparison to each other. There is far too much unfair treatment of the soldiers,sailors,& airmen who have served their country without question or without thought to their own safety in all wars. This also includes that it naturally spills over to their families who sacrifice lots also. I know in our case this money is needed desperatly since I can't work for medical reasons & I don't recieve any money from any agency. We are down about $1200 per month in Army pay since May. We have also late last year been victims of identity theft. So our finances are way out of control because of being unable to recover most of our losses. Plus all we have been out due to my husbands injuries. Now with Christmas upon us & our sons birthday tomorrow. We have 2 cars 1 of which I have left parked since hubby is in GA & I can only drive 1 car at a time, because I can't afford the repairs it needs. The one that does run I found out 2 days ago needs $1300 in repairs that has to be done or the kids & I will have no transportation. I know many of you are in need also. We all need to work together to push this issue & get this money out in time for the Holidays. We also need to work to get this changed for all Vets to get a bonus next Christmas! I wish it could happen for everyone this year but govt is too slow but lets push to get this changed.

Ohio is in deep financial crisis for many jobless in the state and it is somewhat doubtful that they can afford this now.

I'm in Ohio also. I don't see how Ohio can justify paying this bonus while at the same time they are laying off employees (civil servants) because the state can't balance the budget!!

A "bonus" is just that......a bonus. It's not guranteed. No one should expect it nor depend on it. The state needs to balance the budget first...people have lost jobs yet others want "bonus" money......where's the sense in that?

Yup, I'm sure it erks me. I am a Desert Storm/Somalia Vet and this OIF what other acronym they gave for Afghanistan war.. As much as it burns my ass our government’s acts as if these veteran problems have just began and never existed till now. The fact is it has been going on forever and they are making it better by lifting newer veterans above all others with the front of the line treatment and giving the feeling that the older vets have to deal with the same crappy system and put at the back of the line. When there are veterans been fighting for the very same causes and reasons for years that the VA deals with on a daily basis...When I came back from "Desert Storm" WV was giving away money as well only to ODS vets I did not accept the $$ (not saying you shouldn't) because it felt as if someone was trying to make up for something....Or maybe there using these “new vets” as an excuse because it has exposed them of just how bad their short comings really are and by taking care of them first it shows these problems really were never that bad till the newer vets came into the system and by the way “we care about our vets”…Our new ones..

JMO....

No one should have to depend on bonus or charity who served honorably.

I guess Ohio isn't giving up on this Bonus thing......here's a story from today's Dayton Daily News:

A proposal to give Ohio voters the chance to approve cash bonuses for veterans of the Persian Gulf War and the continued fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan appears headed for final legislative passage on Tuesday, March 3.

If, as expected, the House approves the resolution, Sen. Tim Grendell, R-Chesterland, the original backer of the plan, said he would begin working with veterans groups and Bill Hartnett, director of the veterans’ affairs department, to lead a campaign to win passage on the Nov. 3 ballot. The Senate approved the resolution in February.

In normal economic times getting voter approval wouldn’t be a problem but with the economy in tatters, “we better make sure we spend …time making sure the message” gets out, said Grendell. He took up the cause in 2007 after the proposal first came from then state Treasurer Richard Cordray, a Democrat who’s now attorney general.

Gov. Ted Strickland does not have to sign the resolution to get it on the ballot but has indicated he supports the effort.

The plan would provide up to $100 a month - up to a maximum of $1,000 - for veterans who served in the conflicts and bonuses of $50 a month - up to a maximum of $500 - for veterans who served elsewhere during the conflicts. The state would borrow money by issuing bonds to pay for the bonuses.

Last year Strickland vetoed legislation that called for using money from the state’s “rainy day” fund to pay for the bonuses. The “rainy day” fund money now is included in Strickland’s proposed two-year budget proposal.

The state previously has approved bonds to provide cash benefits to veterans of World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, but none since then.

Purple,
Thanks for the update.

I still think it's a bad idea. Ohio has had ten of thousands of layoffs recently...the state cannot balance the budget without federal bailout money...yet they want to give away bonus money???
Not smart. Not fiscally smart.
It's nothing more than buying votes.

Pennsylvania alreay has this program, are there anymore out there?

I agree the finances of the state of Ohio are currently in shambles. But due to my mobilization as a reservist for 15 months to go to Iraq, (and another 6 months earlier in my career for Kosovo) my family's are as well due to severe paycuts we were forced to endure. I understand everyone going to a warzone makes sacrifices, and there are a heck of a lot of people who were worse off than my family and I. I raised my right hand and took the oath, just as everyone honored to serve this country has. While not thrilled of being mobilized twice in my short reserve career, I went without reservations and didn't try to "get out of it" as some reservists I know did. I am proud I was able to serve my country, as I am sure everyone on Hadit has been. Due to my service I now have some issues I'm dealing with, and will be for the rest of my life. I am sure the Ohio veterans of WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam didn't deny any of the money the state gave to them. I don't feel this money is "owed" to me, nor am I expecting any handouts. But if the state wants to thank me for my service monetarily, I would be crazy to turn it down in our current situation. JMHO

I do not think Veterans should be expected to give up a well deserved bonus either because of a bad economy or bad money management by Ohio legislators, as Veterans did not cause these economic maladies. The Veterans of Ohio, already receive about $4000 per year per Veteran less than Veterans in Maine.Source: Ohio Veterans get less Haven't Ohio Veterans given up enough for a bad economy that they did not create? I say Veterans should get their bonus, but Regional Office Employees, who get bonuses for delaying Veterans claims, should have to pay back their bonus.
VA employees paid bonuses for delaying Veterans claims: Source : VA employees get bonus for delays