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Key questions about Issue 1

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Updated 4:58 PM Tuesday, November 3, 2009

If Issue 1 passes, Jim Gravelle expects the questions to come early and often.

Mostly one question: “How do I apply for the bonus and when will I get my money?”

Gravelle, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Veteran Services, said the application process has yet to be developed and nobody can predict how much time will pass between voter approval and the mailing of checks.

“I can tell you that our counterparts in Pennsylvania were pleased that their state began sending checks to their veterans 18 months after their bonus plan was established,” he said.

Issue 1 would provide financial bonuses to veterans of the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

Before the phones start ringing, Gravelle prepared a list of answers to some anticipated questions.

The Issue One resolution will not take effect until the Ohio Secretary of State certifies the election results.
Quoting from the Issue One resolution, the Ohio Department of Veterans Services (DVS) “...shall adopt rules...including rules regarding the amounts to which beneficiaries are entitled, residency requirements...and any other rules necessary...”
The Ohio Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (J-CARR) must review the DVS rules and work with DVS to make changes and/or adopt additional rules.
The Ohio Public Facilities Commission “...shall proceed to issue and sell, from time to time, bonds or other obligations of the state in such amounts as necessary...”
DVS will use some of that bond money to hire staff and rent the office space needed to implement the program. We also need time in which to train the new staff.
Once these systems are in place, eligible veterans will be invited to apply for their bonus.
Then, all applications must be screened in detail to determine eligibility. That screening includes confirming military active duty status, dates/era, service locations, honorable status, Ohio residency when deployed to active duty and when applying for the bonus, and so on.

Gravelle says it’s anybody’s guess how long it will take before veterans start receiving checks. But, he said, “Based on the experience of people accustomed to writing and selling investment bonds and the experiences of other states with similar bonus programs, we can estimate that, if Issue One is approved today, payments to the first eligible veterans will be about one year away.”

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