Ohio has a proud history of its sons and daughters serving in our nation’s armed forces. In fact, Ohio is home to over 1 million veterans and tens of thousands more who are serving today. Over 50% of Ohio’s National Guard members have answered the call to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as recent national disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. It is these men and women that have sacrificed for us all. And it is these men and women who deserve a Governor to stand with them and stand for them, recognizing their service and fulfilling the promises made by a grateful nation and a grateful state.

I am proud of my record in support of those who have worn the uniform and those who wear the uniform on our behalf today. As Governor one of my highest priorities will be to make Ohio known for its commitment to its past and present military community. And here is how I’ll start:

Work to Elevate and Expand the Office of Veterans’ Affairs to a Cabinet Level Agency and Create the Ohio Department of Veterans’ Affairs (ODVA)

For too long, Ohio’s veterans have not been receiving the support or the services they deserve. They have not been a priority to this state. As Governor, I will ensure every Ohioan who has served in our nation’s armed forces knows about the benefits they have earned and to which they are entitled. My Director of ODVA, though separate from the Ohio National Guard, will have a strong working relationship with the Adjutant General.

It is my promise to work closely with my Director of Veterans’ Affairs and the veterans’ service organizations to coordinate and develop the “Promises Kept” outreach initiative and make it a top priority. Through my “Promises Kept” initiative, the ODVA will actively seek out Ohio’s veterans and military retirees to ensure they are receiving the federal and state veterans’ benefits to which they are entitled. Unfortunately, the federal government has not been reaching out to veterans in this way and, in fact, the VA has issued a “gag order” on outreach activities. During my time in Congress, I have aggressively fought to overturn this moratorium on veterans outreach and have even brought a lawsuit against the VA. Ohio falls below the national average for veterans who use the VA health care system. One of the ways my “Promises Kept” initiative will work to reverse this shameful statistic is by establishing a toll-free resource hotline specifically for veterans and military families to obtain information related to state and federal rights, benefits and services. My “Promises Kept” initiative will also focus on informing our returning servicemen and women about their eligibility for veterans’ benefits.

Advocate the support of the Ohio Military Injury Relief Fund. The State of Ohio Military Injury Relief Fund was passed into law in 2005 and allows Ohioans to donate some or all of their tax return to the hundreds of Ohioans who have been injured while serving under Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom. This program also allows direct contribution to this fund. However, there is little or no publicity or reporting about this fund. So far only 16,000 have contributed.

Stand Proudly in Support of Ohio’s Veterans, Military Retirees and Military

As Governor, I will personally work closely with the ODVA and will use the influence of the Governor’s Office as a “bully pulpit” to champion the rights of veterans, military retirees and current military personnel. As a Member of Congress and a Member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, I have been very vocal in my advocacy for concurrent receipt and mandatory funding for veterans’ health care. I have adamantly opposed increases in veterans’ co-payments and any enrollment fees and have been supportive of expanding Tri-Care, the military’s health care system, to members of the National Guard and Reserves, regardless of their activation status. As Governor, I will continue my fight by:

Using the Governor’s office as a means to ensure that Ohio’s laws are, at a minimum, consistent with federal military and veterans’ protections. In addition, I will support our new veterans by educating private and public employers and our universities on the rights of deploying military personnel and veterans and enforcing those protections.

Influencing national leaders on federal policies affecting Ohio’s veterans. Over the last several years and even at a time of war, the current administration has not given veterans the benefits they deserve—in fact, they’ve done the opposite. In Fiscal Year 2005, nearly 10,000 Ohio veterans applied for VA health care and got turned down because they were classified as priority 8. (The current administration is denying all new veterans in this category access to VA health care.) I will be a vocal advocate for veterans at the federal level to right these wrongs.

As Governor, I will fight to reduce the VA’s claims backlog. This backlog continues to grow and prevents veterans from receiving services and compensation they need and deserve. Ohio needs a Governor who has the leadership to fight to improve timeliness and accuracy on disability claims.

Fighting for Ohio’s veterans is not a new challenge for me. While a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, I have stood proudly with the veterans’ service organizations time and time again to support full and guaranteed funding for veterans’ health care and to ensure that we have adequate veterans’ health care facilities in Ohio. Through my work on the VA Committee, I was instrumental in securing funds for the new VA medical facility in Columbus. Access to the expertise at our VA health care facilities is especially crucial to our veterans, including our new veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, who experience very specific health challenges as a result of their service including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and complications from chemical exposures, and I work to ensure this access.

Based on my experience in Congress, I understand funding for veterans must be a bipartisan effort—that is why I will work with the General Assembly to ensure adequate and timely funding for state veterans programs. Additionally, my goal is to add at least two new State Veterans’ Homes. I will work to secure state and federal resources to support these homes and other long-term care needs of our veterans.

Making Ohio the place that veterans and military retirees want to call home after they have completed their service. To that end, I will work to exclude military-retiree pensions from the state income tax to make Ohio a more welcoming state to veterans and retired military. This exemption will encourage residency in Ohio and bring the skills of those recently separated from the military—some who are looking for second careers as young retirees—to our state.

Working with Ohio’s public colleges and universities to cover 75% of tuition costs for qualifying Ohio veterans. Many veterans receive some type of tuition guarantee, including the federal Montgomery GI bill. However, these guarantees are outdated and now only pay for a small fraction of tuition costs. I will create the Ohio VetEd program, which will augment these tuition guarantees up to 75% of tuition for qualifying honorably discharged veterans who are Ohio residents at the time of enrollment into an institution. (Estimated costs, $27 million.)

I have already demonstrated my commitment to expanding adult education opportunities so that we can build a workforce in Ohio that will allow us to keep and grow jobs. The hardworking men and women who have served in our armed forces, many of whom already have specialized training from their military service, are exactly the type of people we want in Ohio’s workforce. Investing in those who have served is an investment in Ohio’s future.

Valuing veterans preference in hiring practices and upholding this policy as Governor. I also support priority in job-training programs and will support veterans with new and small businesses.

I will work with the Ohio Housing Finance Agency and the Department of Development to target housing benefits, including the first time home-buyer program and down-payment assistance, to veterans and emergency rent and mortgage assistance to those who are currently serving and experiencing financial hardships because of their deployments.

Lead the National Guard

I take seriously the responsibility and leadership that the Governor of Ohio has over the Ohio National Guard. Working with Ohio’s Adjutant General, I will see to it that our Guard is fully trained, equipped and supported. As Governor, I will champion and improve on the existing services and protections for our National Guard members including the tuition scholarship program that is offered to those attending our state colleges and universities.

Over the past several years, Ohio has seen more than 50% of our National Guard personnel deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. As our men and women in our National Guard are asked to sacrifice more, we should increase our support for them as they struggle with returning and reintegrating back into their families, communities and jobs. Every member of Ohio’s Guard is owed a smooth transition after his or her deployment. And I will partner with the Adjutant General to continue the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Program, ensuring that when our citizen soldiers and airmen return home, the jobs they vacated when deployed to defend our freedoms are waiting for them. In addition, I will be a strong advocate of the Family Readiness Program, ensuring the families of our troops are supported while their loved ones are in harms way. I will also ensure that other members of my cabinet and Ohio’s agencies, such as the Ohio Department of Mental Health and the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, are working effectively together through the Ohio Cares Program to give our National Guard members any assistance they need.

Finally, I will work to preserve and expand the missions of Ohio’s military units during the federal Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process that is underway. BRAC will especially have a great effect on the future of our Guard, and I will be an advocate for maintaining and increasing the strength of our military forces.