December 5, 2024, Press Release from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: WASHINGTON — Today, VA is launching a new outreach campaign to encourage all eligible Veterans to enroll in VA health care – including approximately 29,200 unenrolled Ohio Veterans who served in Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan. This campaign will include text messages and emails directly to Veterans, public service announcements, paid advertising, and events. VA is launching this campaign after reports of concerns from Veterans about health issues – including mental health challenges and thoughts of suicide – potentially related to repeated blasts and head trauma (low-level artillery blasts, IEDs, missile launches, heavy fire, and more). Since the first reporting about these concerns, VA researchers have been urgently studying this matter to learn more about the potential health impacts of blast exposure on Veterans. 

November 12, 2024, press release from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness announced results of the 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, which show a record low in Veteran homelessness since measurement began in 2009 and a 5% decrease in Ohio since 2023. Nationwide, the data shows a 11.7% reduction in Veterans experiencing homelessness since 2020 and a 55.6% reduction since 2010.

October 29, 2024, Press Release from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs anno…

August 28, 2024, Press Release from by Grand Lake Health System: St. Marys, Ohio – Grand Lake Hospice is proud to announce it is now a Level Three Partner with We Honor Veterans, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). The progression to this new level demonstrates a high level of commitment to Veteran-centric care in the community.

August 16, 2024, Press Release from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs: WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced it will award $17 million in grants to help homeless and at-risk Ohio Veterans — along with an additional $3.6 million to benefit Veterans from Ohio and surrounding states — through the Supportive Services for Veteran Families and Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem programs. A total of $806.4 million will be awarded through the two programs nationally.

August 14, 2024, Press Release from the Ohio Department of Veterans Services: COLUMBUS – With more than 300 former military members in attendance on Aug. 3, the Ohio Veterans Conference brought together men and women from all sectors of the state representing multiple branches of service and eras. The biennial event – organized and sponsored by the Ohio Department of Veterans Services (ODVS) – was held at the Ohio Union on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus and availed veterans and their supporters to key resources, inspirational speakers, informative breakout sessions, and networking opportunities.

May 21, 2024, Press Release from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs: WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs expects to grant its 1 millionth PACT Act-related disability compensation claims to Veterans and survivors since President Biden signed the bill into law on Aug. 10, 2022 – including 31,945 claims to Veterans and survivors in Ohio. The grant rate for these 1 million claims is 75% – a sharp increase from pre-PACT levels – and VA has delivered more than $181,380,848 in earned benefits to Ohio Veterans and survivors.  Additionally, since the PACT Act was signed into law, more than 21,151 Ohio Veterans have signed up for VA health care.

Dr. Paul Lawrence, Under Secretary for Benefits at the Department of Veterans Affairs, is hosting a live telephone event for Ohio veterans to directly assist them with benefits, inform of new programs and answer questions. New programs include Blue Water Navy benefits that took effect earlier this year, home loan and banking benefits, and efforts to combat veteran suicide and homelessness. During the live call, veterans will be able to ask Dr. Lawrence questions. This is an open press event. 

Over 1000 veterans in the area received a free face mask this week to keep themselves protected. Healthcare workers from the Lima Veterans Affairs clinic were outside Mercy Health-St. Rita's Wednesday and Thursday afternoon, handing out free face masks to patients of their facility. An information sheet was also attached on what veterans should do if they need help during this time. The masks were made by volunteers at the Dayton VA. They then brought them to Lima to be distributed to area veterans.

Some Veterans have to drive miles from their home to visit a Vet Center, but thanks to Dayton’s Mobile Vet Center, the center comes to them. A mobile vet center is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a part of the Department of Veterans Affairs and it provides outreach, counseling, and information resources, but it brings them to your area. This is one of 80 MBC's in the country and was parked outside of the American Legion in Lima.