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The Legislative Service Commission staff updates the Revised Code on an ongoing basis, as it completes its act review of enacted legislation. Updates may be slower during some times of the year, depending on the volume of enacted legislation.

Chapter 5901 | Veterans' Services Commissions

 
 
 
Section
Section 5901.01 | Veterans' services definitions.
 

As used in sections 5901.01 to 5901.37 of the Revised Code:

(A) Except as otherwise provided in division (B) of this section, "veteran" means either of the following:

(1) A former member of the armed forces of the United States who served on active military duty and received an honorable discharge or honorable separation, a member of the armed forces of the United States who died on active military duty, or a member of the armed forces of the United States missing in action more than ninety days;

(2) A member of the United States merchant marine to whom either of the following applies:

(a) The member has an honorable report of separation from the active duty military service, form DD214 or DD215.

(b) The member served in the United States merchant marine between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946, and died on active duty while serving in a war zone during that period of service.

(B) As used in section 5901.08 and other sections of the Revised Code with regard to applications for financial assistance under sections 5901.02 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code, "veteran" means either of the following:

(1) A person who served in the armed forces of the United States on active military duty and was discharged from the service under honorable conditions, and who either served on active duty for reasons other than training or, while serving on active duty for training, incurred a disability recognized by the department of veterans affairs or department of defense as service-connected;

(2) A person who served in the United States merchant marine, who either served on active duty for reasons other than training or, while serving on active duty for training, incurred a disability recognized by the department of veterans affairs or department of defense as service-connected, and to whom either of the following applies:

(a) The person has an honorable report of separation from the active duty military service, form DD214 or DD215.

(b) The person served in the United States merchant marine between December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946, and died on active duty while serving in a war zone during that period of service.

(C) "Veterans plot" means a plot of land in any cemetery, set apart to be exclusively used for interring the remains of deceased veterans.

(D) "United States merchant marine" includes the United States army transport service and the United States naval transport service.

Section 5901.02 | Veterans service commission.
 

In each county there shall be a commission known as "the veterans service commission." Except as provided in section 5901.021 of the Revised Code, the commission shall be composed of five residents of the county appointed to five-year terms by a judge of the court of common pleas. At the time of appointment or reappointment to the commission, no commission member appointed under this section shall be an employee of the commission or hold an elective or other appointive office of the county served by the commission.

Each member of the commission appointed under this section shall be an honorably discharged or honorably separated veteran. Within sixty days after the date of appointment, each such member shall file the member's form DD214 with the department of veterans services in accordance with guidelines established by the director of that department. Such appointments shall be made from lists of recommended persons, in the manner specified in the following paragraph. One person shall be a representative recommended by the American Legion; one person shall be a representative recommended by the Veterans of Foreign Wars; one person shall be a representative recommended by the Disabled American Veterans; one person shall be a representative recommended by the AMVETS; and one person shall be a representative recommended by the Military Order of the Purple Heart of the U.S.A., the Vietnam Veterans of America, or the Korean War Veterans Association. If any such organization has no post or chapter located in the county, the appointment shall be made from lists of recommended persons submitted by posts or chapters of any other congressionally chartered veterans organizations located in the county. If no such other organizations have posts or chapters located in the county, the judge responsible for making appointments under this section may appoint any qualified veteran to represent the veteran community.

On or before the fifteenth day of October of each year, the appointing judge shall notify each post or chapter of each organization within the county from which the member may or must be appointed that it may submit a list containing three recommendations of persons who are eligible for appointment. If the judge does not receive any recommendations within sixty days after providing the required notification, the judge may appoint any qualified veteran to represent the veteran community. The judge shall make the appointment on or before the fifteenth day of January of each year. Any vacancy in a membership appointed under this section shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments.

Beginning in the year 2000, appointment of members to the commission under this section shall be made as follows:

(A) Appointments for members to represent the American Legion shall be made for terms to commence in years ending in zero and five.

(B) Appointments for members to represent the Veterans of Foreign Wars shall be made for terms to commence in years ending in one and six.

(C) Appointments for members to represent the Disabled American Veterans shall be made for terms to commence in years ending in two and seven.

(D) Appointments for members to represent the AMVETS shall be made for terms to commence in years ending in three and eight.

(E) Appointments for members to represent the Military Order of the Purple Heart of the U.S.A., the Vietnam Veterans of America, or the Korean War Veterans Association shall be made for terms to commence in years ending in four and nine.

The terms immediately preceding the initial appointments made under divisions (A) to (E) of this section may be for periods of less than five years.

The appointing authority shall remove a member who fails to maintain certification or whose certification is revoked by the director of veterans services.

Last updated January 5, 2024 at 2:27 PM

Section 5901.021 | Creation of additional memberships.
 

(A) This section applies only to counties having a population, according to the most recent decennial census, of more than five hundred thousand.

(B)(1) In any county that is described in division (A) of this section and in which the veterans service commission submits a budget request under section 5901.11 of the Revised Code for the ensuing fiscal year that exceeds twenty-five-thousandths of one per cent of the assessed value of property in the county or the amount appropriated to the commission from the county general fund in the current fiscal year by more than ten per cent of that appropriation, the board of county commissioners, by resolution, may create not more than six memberships on the veterans service commission in addition to the memberships provided for by section 5901.02 of the Revised Code. The board shall prescribe the number of years the additional memberships shall exist, which shall not exceed five years. Once a board of county commissioners creates any additional memberships, it may not create further additional memberships under this section if the total number of such memberships would exceed six. The board shall appoint persons who are residents of the county and who are honorably discharged or honorably separated veterans to each of the additional memberships, for terms prescribed by the board and commencing on a date fixed by the board. Each person appointed to an additional membership shall file, within sixty days after the date of the appointment, the person's form DD214 with the department of veterans services in accordance with guidelines established by the director of that department.

(2) If the board of county commissioners appoints additional members as described in division (B)(1) of this section, the board may permit the commission to submit an original or revised budget request for the ensuing fiscal year later than the last Monday in May, as otherwise required under section 5901.11 of the Revised Code.

(C) The board of county commissioners may remove, for cause, any member appointed under this section. The board shall determine whether the additional members may be reappointed upon the expiration of their terms, and shall fill any vacancy in an additional membership for the unexpired term in the manner provided for the original appointment.

Section 5901.03 | Organization and duties of commission.
 

The veterans service commission shall select one of its members as president, one as vice-president, and one as secretary. The commission shall meet at least once each month. A judge of the court of common pleas may remove, for cause, any member of the commission appointed under section 5901.02 of the Revised Code, and shall fill vacancies occurring among memberships appointed under that section for the unexpired terms in the manner provided for the original appointments.

The commission's duties shall include but are not limited to the following:

(A) Employing such staff as are necessary to carry out the commission's duties, and fixing their compensation;

(B) Establishing policies and procedures for the administration of the commission and the veterans service office;

(C) Establishing policies and procedures for the administration of assistance as provided under this chapter;

(D) Causing the budgets of the veterans service commission and veterans service office to be presented to the board of county commissioners for approval;

(E) Establishing programs of outreach and coordination with other agencies to enhance available services to veterans within the county;

(F) Promoting, monitoring, and providing funding for ongoing education and training for veterans service commissioners and staff;

(G) Making reports to the organizations represented on the commission, as provided in section 5901.02 of the Revised Code, and to others, upon request;

(H) Establishing regularly scheduled transportation for veterans to and from veterans administration medical centers whose districts the county is within, through contractual agreements or through other arrangements determined by the commission to be most cost-effective;

(I) Participating in appropriate memorial and commemorative activities to help promote patriotism and veterans services;

(J) Taking any other actions required by this chapter.

Section 5901.04 | Payment of expenses and compensation of commissioners.
 

On the presentation of an itemized statement, the board of county commissioners shall allow the persons composing the veterans service commission their reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their duties, and shall fix a fair compensation for their services. The county auditor shall issue a warrant upon the county treasurer for the amount so allowed.

Section 5901.05 | Veterans service committee.
 

On the first Monday of January in each year, the veterans service commission may appoint for the county a veterans service committee, consisting of at least three persons who are residents of the county, whose duties shall be set forth by the commission. Such persons shall be veterans, one of whom shall be designated as chairperson of the county veterans service committee. The commission shall fill all vacancies that occur in any such committee, and may remove any member of a committee for cause.

Section 5901.06 | Commission to employ executive director, investigators and clerks.
 

The veterans service commission may employ an executive director, who shall be a veteran and shall be employed in the unclassified service, and such investigators and clerks as are necessary to perform the duties of the commission. Each investigator and clerk shall be a veteran or, if a qualified veteran is not available, the spouse, surviving spouse, child, or parent of a veteran. Each shall be employed in the classified service and is exempt from civil service examination. The compensation of such investigators and clerks shall be established by the commission, and shall be paid from the county allotment of veterans service funds.

Section 5901.07 | County veterans service officers and assistants.
 

The veterans service commission shall employ one or more county veterans service officers, one of whom may act as executive director. Each service officer shall be a veteran. Within sixty days after the date of initial employment, each service officer shall file a copy of the officer's form DD214 with the department of veterans services in accordance with guidelines established by the director of that department. Each service officer shall be employed in the classified service and is exempt from civil service examination. The commission may remove a veterans service officer who fails to maintain accreditation or whose certification is revoked by the director of veterans services. The service officers shall advise and assist present and former members of the armed forces of the United States, veterans, and their spouses, surviving spouses, children, parents, and dependents in presenting claims or obtaining rights or benefits under any law of the United States or of this state.

The commission shall employ each service officer on a part- or full-time basis and fix the officer's compensation. No county commissioner or member of the veterans service commission shall be employed as a service officer.

The commission shall employ the necessary clerks, stenographers, and other personnel to assist the service officers in the performance of duties and shall fix their compensation. Each of these employees shall be a veteran or, if a qualified veteran is not available, the spouse, surviving spouse, child, or parent of a veteran. Each of these employees shall be employed in the classified service and is exempt from civil service examination.

The board of county commissioners, upon the recommendation or approval of the veterans service commission, may provide suitable office space, supplies, and office and incidental expenses for each service officer. The compensation of each service officer and of any employee and any expenses incurred under this section shall be paid out of funds appropriated to the commission, as provided in section 5901.11 of the Revised Code.

Last updated April 7, 2022 at 12:11 PM

Section 5901.08 | Applicants for financial assistance.
 

Each applicant for financial assistance under sections 5901.02 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code shall be a veteran, an active-duty member of the armed forces of the United States, or the spouse, surviving spouse, dependent parent, minor child, or ward of a veteran or active-duty member of the armed forces of the United States, who has been a bona fide resident of the county in which application is being made for at least three months.

Section 5901.09 | Statement of household income and property.
 

(A) Each applicant for financial assistance under sections 5901.01 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code shall provide the veterans service commission with a statement concerning the applicant's household income and the amount of real and personal taxable property, stocks, bonds, moneys on hand loaned or deposited in any bank or elsewhere, shares in building associations, mortgages, notes, or other articles of value from which the applicant derives an income or revenue. The statement shall be made upon blanks furnished by the commission and shall be subscribed by the applicant.

Statements provided under this division shall not include medical records and, pursuant to division (B) of this section, are not public records under section 149.43 of the Revised Code. Veterans service commissions may compile statistical data from the statements in a manner to be prescribed by the department of veterans services. These data shall be considered a matter of public record.

(B) The following are not public records under section 149.43 of the Revised Code:

(1) A statement described in division (A) of this section;

(2) Any application for financial assistance under sections 5901.01 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code;

(3) Any documents that accompany and pertain to a statement described in division (A) of this section or an application described in division (B)(2) of this section;

(4) Any other documents that are used by or are in the possession of a veterans service commission that may affect the determination of the eligibility of an applicant for financial assistance under sections 5901.01 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code or that may affect the determination of an increase, decrease, or discontinuance of an allowance under section 5901.14 of the Revised Code, if those documents are required to be kept confidential under any statute of this state or the United States;

(5) Any applications to obtain benefits under any law of the United States or of this state, and any documents accompanying those applications, in the possession of a veterans service commission and filed by persons in the armed forces of the United States, veterans, or the spouses, surviving spouses, children, parents, or dependents of veterans.

(C) Interviews of applicants for financial assistance under sections 5901.01 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code, discussions of the applications, statements, and other documents described in division (B) of this section, and reviews of matters relating to applicants' requests for financial assistance under sections 5901.01 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code shall be kept confidential. In accordance with division (J) of section 121.22 of the Revised Code, a veterans service commission shall conduct a meeting of the commission or a portion of a meeting of the commission to interview an applicant for financial assistance under sections 5901.01 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code, to discuss an application, statement, or other document described in division (B) of this section, or to review matters relating to an applicant's request for financial assistance under sections 5901.01 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code in an executive session.

(D) Except as otherwise provided in division (E) of this section or division (B) of section 5902.04 of the Revised Code, a veterans service commission shall ensure that the applications, statements, and other documents described in division (B) of this section are not used for any purpose other than to determine the eligibility of the applicant for financial assistance under sections 5901.01 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code or to determine whether to increase, decrease, or discontinue an allowance under section 5901.14 of the Revised Code.

(E)(1) An applicant for, or a recipient or former recipient of, financial assistance under sections 5901.01 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code may consent to the release by a veterans service commission of any information in an application, statement, or other document described in division (B) of this section that pertains to the applicant, recipient, or former recipient by completing and signing a release of information form. The form shall be prescribed by the department of veterans services. An applicant for, or a recipient or former recipient of, financial assistance shall sign a separate release of information form each time the applicant, recipient, or former recipient consents to the release of any specific information in the application, statement, or other document involved. A copy of each signed release of information form shall be kept in the file of the applicant, recipient, or former recipient kept by the commission. The release of information form shall specify the following items:

(a) The individual, agency, or organization requesting the information;

(b) The specific information requested;

(c) The intended use of the information requested;

(d) The date of the request for the information;

(e) The signature of the person who consents to the release of the information.

(2) A law enforcement officer may obtain an application, statement, or document as described in division (B) of this section pursuant to an investigation by a law enforcement authority, upon the issuance of a court order established upon reasonable grounds that the information contained in the application, statement, or document is relevant to a suspected violation of law.

(3)(a) A party to a matter pending before a court may obtain an application, statement, or document as described in division (B) of this section, if upon application to a court of competent jurisdiction, the party proves all of the following:

(i) The information contained in the application, statement, or document is relevant and material to the matter before the court.

(ii) Disclosure of the application, statement, or document serves the interests of justice, because the need of the party requesting the information within the application, statement, or document outweighs the privacy interest of the applicant, recipient, or former recipient of financial assistance under sections 5901.01 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code.

(iii) No other reasonable mean exists to obtain the information contained in the application, statement, or document.

(b) If the party to a matter pending before a court proves all of the elements in division (E)(3)(a) of this section, the court may order the disclosure of an application, statement, or document described in division (B) of this section. For purposes of this division the court shall do all of the following:

(i) Indicate the specific application, statement, or document to be disclosed;

(ii) Indicate the purpose for the disclosure of the application, statement, or document;

(iii) Indicate the person to whom the application, statement, or document will be disclosed.

Section 5901.11 | Determination of probable amount of funds needed.
 

On or before the last Monday in May in each year, the veterans service commission shall meet and determine in an itemized manner the probable amount necessary for the aid and financial assistance of persons entitled to such aid and assistance and for the operation of the veterans service office for the ensuing year. After determining the probable amount necessary for such purposes, the commission shall prepare and submit a budget in the manner specified in division (C) of section 5705.28 of the Revised Code to the board of county commissioners which may review the proposed budget and shall appropriate funds to the commission pursuant to Title III, section 5705.05, and sections 5705.38 to 5705.41 of the Revised Code. The board, at its June session, shall make the necessary levy, not to exceed five-tenths of a mill per dollar on the assessed value of the property of the county, to raise the amount that the board approves. The veterans service commission may, prior to the first day of October in any year, submit to the board of county commissioners a written request for a hearing before the board to discuss the commission's budget request for the ensuing fiscal year. Upon receiving this request, the board shall provide for such a hearing at a regular or special meeting of the board to be held no later than fourteen days prior to the board's adoption of a permanent appropriation measure under section 5705.38 of the Revised Code.

Section 5901.14 | Warrant for allowance.
 

To each person certified by the veterans service commission to the county auditor, the auditor shall issue a warrant upon the county treasurer for the allowance awarded to that person by the commission. Upon proper cause shown, the commission may appoint a suitable person to draw, receipt for, and properly expend the allowance made to any person under sections 5901.02 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code, after the voucher or certificate is endorsed by the person for whom the allowance is intended, for the benefit of the person and the indigent members of his family. No part of the allowance shall be paid to any person without such endorsement. The commission, at any meeting, may increase, decrease, or discontinue any allowance previously awarded, which action shall be certified to the auditor, who shall amend his list of recipients accordingly.

Section 5901.15 | Immediate assistance - veterans service commission unclaimed assistance fund.
 

The veterans service commission shall adopt and implement rules to grant immediate assistance, financial or otherwise, to any person entitled to it under sections 5901.02 to 5901.14 of the Revised Code, and to any member, spouse, or dependent of any member of the Ohio national guard, the Ohio military reserve, the Ohio naval militia, or a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States serving active military duty because of an executive order issued by the president of the United States or an act of congress, until the benefits or pay and allowances to which the member, spouse, or dependent is entitled from the armed forces are available, under such rules as the commission designates. If any money so awarded as financial assistance is not called for by the applicant within sixty days after it is awarded, such amounts shall be paid into the county treasury to the veterans service commission unclaimed assistance fund, which is hereby created.

Section 5901.16 | Application or petition for veterans plot in cemetery.
 

Upon application in writing by a veterans organization in any municipal corporation or township, or upon a petition in writing by five or more veterans in any municipal corporation or township where no veterans organization exists, the veterans service commission of any county shall purchase or provide a veterans plot in any cemetery in such county or municipal corporation where no burial plot is provided, for the burial, removal, and reinterment of the bodies of neglected and indigent veterans.

The expense of such purchase shall be filed with and audited by the county auditor, who shall issue a warrant for it upon the county treasurer, who shall pay such warrant from the general fund of the county.

Section 5901.17 | Expense for care of graves.
 

On and after the interment of the remains of one or more deceased veterans in a veterans plot, the reasonable expenses of the care of the grave shall be annually provided for by the municipal corporation or township in which the remains are buried, and shall be paid annually to the cemetery association in which the remains may be interred, removed, or reinterred.

Section 5901.18 | Petition for burial or removal and reinterment.
 

A petition may be presented to the county veterans service commission signed by the officers of a local or state veterans organization, or by a majority of a memorial committee of any municipal corporation in which one or more such organizations exist, or by veterans in townships or villages in which no veterans organization exists. Such petition shall contain:

(A) The name of the deceased veteran or veterans whose remains are sought to be buried or removed, and, if known, the company and regiment in which each served;

(B) The name and location of the cemetery in which each is interred, and from which removal is asked to be made;

(C) The name and location of the cemetery to which the remains are desired to be removed and reinterred;

(D) The facts showing the reason for such removal.

Section 5901.19 | Order to maintain dignified burial site or for removal and reinterment - maximum expense to be specified.
 

Within thirty days after the next succeeding regular meeting, the veterans service commission shall act upon any petition presented as provided by section 5901.18 of the Revised Code, and, if true, it shall issue an order to maintain a dignified burial site with the agreement of the petitioners, or direct the removal of the remains of the deceased veteran or veterans to the cemetery designated in the petition, within the municipal corporation or township, in which the remains are then to be buried, and the commission shall specify in the order the maximum expense of the proposed removal and reinterment, including the expense incurred by the commission. The order shall designate the persons who shall have charge of the burial or removal and reinterment.

Section 5901.20 | Verified statement of burial or removal.
 

Upon the completion of the burial or removal and reinterment of a deceased veteran, the persons having charge thereof shall make an itemized statement, and shall verify and file such statement with the veterans service commission, which shall, at the next regular meeting, act upon such expense account and file it with the county auditor forthwith, at which time it shall become a charge upon the county in which the interment or reinterment is made.

Such expense shall be audited and the auditor shall issue a warrant for it on the county treasurer, who shall pay such warrant out of the general fund of the county.

Section 5901.21 | Purchase of additional plots.
 

If it becomes necessary to purchase additional plots of ground in any cemetery in which a veterans plot has been filled with graves to its capacity, sections 5901.16 to 5901.24 of the Revised Code do not prevent the purchase of such additional plots.

Section 5901.22 | Contracts with cemetery associations for purchase and maintenance of plots.
 

The board of county commissioners, the board of townships trustees, or the legislative authority of a municipal corporation may enter into contracts with cemetery associations providing for the purchase and maintenance, in cemeteries within the county, of plots of ground for the burial of deceased veterans and the deceased spouses of veterans. Any such purchase may be made either by cash or by installment payments. The purchase price and maintenance cost of all such burial plots shall be paid from the treasury of the county, township, or municipal corporation contracting for such plots.

Section 5901.23 | Plots open for burial on application.
 

Any veterans plot owned or maintained by any county, township, or municipal corporation shall be open for the burial of the body of any deceased veteran on application by a relative of the decedent or other proper person responsible for the disposition of the remains to the county, township, or municipal corporation owning or maintaining the plot.

Section 5901.24 | Burial in cemetery not provided with plot.
 

If it is desired to bury the body or cremated remains of any deceased veteran in any cemetery not having a burial plot as provided by section 5901.22 of the Revised Code, the board of county commissioners, any board of township trustees, or the legislative authority of any municipal corporation in the county in which the cemetery is situated may purchase a space for the grave of the veteran or the veteran's cremated remains, provide for the care of the plot, and pay the amount of the purchase price and maintenance cost from the funds in the treasury of the county, township, or municipal corporation.

Section 5901.25 | Commission to contract for burial of indigent veteran, parent, spouse or surviving spouse of veteran.
 

The board of county commissioners shall require the veterans service commission, upon application and with the approval of the family or friends of the deceased, to contract, at a fair and reasonable price, with the funeral director selected by the family or friends, and cause to be interred or cremated in a decent and respectable manner the body of any veteran, or the parent, spouse, or surviving spouse of any such veteran, who dies without the means to defray the necessary funeral or cremation expenses. Such a burial may be made in any cemetery or burial ground within the state, other than those used exclusively for the burial of paupers and criminals.

Section 5901.26 | Duties of commission as to burial of indigent.
 

Pursuant to section 5901.25 of the Revised Code, the veterans service commission shall use the forms of contracts prescribed by sections 5901.25 to 5901.32 of the Revised Code, and abide by the regulations provided by such sections. The commission shall see that funeral directors furnish all items specified in the contract, that when the benefits of such sections are claimed the entire amount to be contributed by the county toward the cost of the burial or cremation shall not exceed the sum of one thousand dollars, and that any remaining costs are paid by the family or friends of the deceased.

Section 5901.27 | Commission to determine indigency - report to county commissioners.
 

Before assuming the charge and expense of any burial or cremation, the veterans service commission, pursuant to section 5901.25 of the Revised Code, shall satisfy itself, beyond a reasonable doubt, by careful inquiry, that the family of the deceased is unable, for want of means, to defray the expenses of the burial or cremation, or that the family may be deprived of means actually necessary for its immediate support. Thereupon the commission shall cause the deceased to be buried or cremated and make a report thereof to the board of county commissioners. The report shall set forth that the commission found the family of the deceased person in indigent circumstances and unable to pay the expenses of burial or cremation. The report shall also set forth the name of the deceased, the rank and command to which the deceased belonged if a veteran, the date of death, the place of burial or disposition made of the person's cremated remains, the occupation while living, and an accurate itemized statement of the expenses incurred by reason of the burial or cremation.

Section 5901.28 | Death of inmate of home.
 

Upon the death of an inmate of any home for indigent parents, spouses, or surviving spouses of veterans, the manager of the home may, upon a certificate signed by the attending physician of the home, certify as to the death of the inmate to the board of county commissioners of the county from which the parent, spouse, or surviving spouse was admitted to the home, and the board shall proceed as provided in section 5901.32 of the Revised Code.

Section 5901.29 | Funeral directors' blanks.
 

The funeral director employed to perform the service described by section 5901.25 of the Revised Code shall use the blanks provided by this section, specifying what the funeral director is to furnish for the service. The contract shall be signed by the funeral director and a copy thereof left with the veterans service commission with which it is made. Such contract shall read as follows:

"I ________________, funeral director, residing at _________________ hereby agree to furnish the following items for the burial or cremation (circle one) of _______________, who resided at ___________________, and died ______________, _________, which shall consist of:

(A) One casket, nicely covered with a good quality of black cloth, lined with a good quality of white satin or other material, and trimmed on the outside with handles of a fair quality in keeping with the casket;

(B) One burial robe of a good quality of material;

(C) One plain box appropriate for receiving the coffin or urn containing cremated remains inside the grave;

(D) Payment for digging the grave, in the place designated by the friends of the deceased or as otherwise provided, and for filling the grave in a proper manner;

(E) Furnishing a funeral car for conveying the remains to the place of burial or crematory;

(F) Preparing the body for burial when so requested;

(G) Furnishing necessary transportation for the use of the family, friends, and pallbearers, which people shall be returned to their respective homes or to the place where the funeral services were held;

(H) Furnishing a decent, respectable funeral, for the sum of ______ dollars."

Section 5901.30 | Presentation of itemized bill and contract to county auditor.
 

The funeral director shall present the itemized bill and contract, as approved by the veterans service commission, to the county auditor, upon printed blanks furnished by the auditor, and make an oath that the funeral director has honestly and faithfully performed the contract, that the bill and contract attached is a true copy of the one left with the parties who engaged the funeral director's services, and that the bill covers the entire expense of the service described by section 5901.25 of the Revised Code, in order to obtain the auditor's warrant. The auditor shall have the necessary blanks printed and distribute them to the veterans service commission, from whom they may be procured by funeral directors.

Section 5901.31 | Savings on expenses to remain in county general fund - delay where additional funds coming to family.
 

If a saving of money is effected by reason of the loan of automobiles, ownership of a cemetery lot, or other items mentioned in the bill of expenses under section 5901.30 of the Revised Code, the amount of such saving shall remain in the general fund of the county. If it appears that life insurance or any additional funds are coming to the family of the deceased, the veterans service commission shall withhold its signature to the itemized bill and contract until such matters are definitely settled.

Section 5901.32 | Record - expenses - headstone.
 

Upon securing the report and statement of expenses as provided by section 5901.27 of the Revised Code, the board of county commissioners shall transcribe in a book to be kept for that purpose, all the facts contained in the report concerning a deceased veteran, and shall certify the expenses thus incurred to the county auditor, who shall draw a warrant for those expenses upon the county treasurer, to be paid from the county fund to such persons as are designated by the board. Upon the death of any indigent veteran residing within the county at the time of death and the burial of the indigent veteran or the indigent veteran's cremated remains, the board shall make application to the proper authorities, under the United States government, for a suitable headstone, as provided by act of congress, and shall cause it to be placed at the grave of the deceased veteran or the deceased veteran's cremated remains.

Section 5901.34 | Permanent markers and temporary memorial day markers for graves of veterans.
 

The board of county commissioners shall, upon the petition of any five veterans of any township or municipal corporation in its county, procure for and furnish to the petitioners a suitable and durable marker for the grave of each veteran buried in the limits of the township or municipal corporation. The name of the veteran and the company, regiment, or other command in which he served may be inscribed upon the marker. The marker shall be placed on the grave by the petitioners for the purpose of permanently marking and designating the grave for memorial purposes. The board may also provide a temporary memorial day marker for each veteran's grave within the limits of the county, upon the petition of any memorial day association or veterans organization having charge of memorial day ceremonies conducted within the cemetery where veterans are buried. The board shall provide for the payment of the necessary expense of placing and setting such permanent and temporary markers.

The petitioners shall state in their petition the names of veterans buried and the number of such graves in their township or municipal corporation at the time of petitioning, and shall describe the form and character of the markers which they desire to have placed at such graves.

Section 5901.35 | Care of graves of veterans.
 

The board of county commissioners shall provide for the proper care of the graves of all veterans, and of confederate soldiers, sailors, and marines who are buried in lots used exclusively for the benefit of veterans and confederate soldiers, sailors, and marines in cemeteries or burying grounds.

Section 5901.36 | County or municipal corporation may provide land for veterans' facilities.
 

For the purpose of enabling counties or municipal corporations to aid and facilitate the construction of veterans' facilities operated by the United States department of veterans affairs as a public works project of the government of the United States, the board of county commissioners of any county or the legislative authority of any municipal corporation may acquire lands by purchase or deed of gift for the purpose of providing a suitable site and grounds in such county for veterans' facilities to be constructed, maintained, and operated by the United States, and may grant the ownership or use and occupation of such lands to the United States for such purpose.

Payment for lands so purchased shall be made from the general fund of the county.

Section 5901.37 | Care of portion of cemetery set apart for burial of veterans.
 

In any county having a cemetery or part of it set apart for the burial of veterans, or containing a monument erected to their memory, or containing monuments and memorials erected by private or public expense to the memory of veterans, the board of county commissioners shall care for and properly preserve that portion of the cemetery so set apart for the burial of such veterans, and shall care for and properly preserve the monuments or memorials, and the board shall pay all expenses incident to such care and preservation from the general fund of the county.

Section 5901.99 | Misrepresentation of veteran status.
 

(A) No person who is not a veteran, an active-duty member of the armed forces of the United States, or the spouse, surviving spouse, dependent parent, minor child, or ward of a veteran or an active-duty member of the armed forces of the United States shall knowingly represent that the person is a veteran, an active-duty member of the armed forces of the United States, or the spouse, surviving spouse, dependent parent, minor child, or ward of a veteran or an active-duty member of the armed forces of the United States and is eligible for any benefits or financial assistance related to veteran status for the purpose of receiving such benefits or financial assistance.

(B) Whoever violates this section is guilty of misrepresentation of veteran status, a misdemeanor of the first degree.