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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 5907 | Veterans' Homes

 
 
 
Section
Section 5907.01 | Ohio veterans' homes.
 

(A) As used in this chapter:

(1) "Armed forces of the United States" means the army, air force, navy, marine corps, coast guard, and any other military service branch that is designated by congress as a part of the armed forces of the United States.

(2) "Domiciliary" means a separate area within the Ohio veterans' home providing domiciliary care.

(3) "Domiciliary care" means providing shelter, food, and necessary medical care on an ambulatory self-care basis to eligible veterans who do not need the nursing services provided in nursing homes.

(4) "Nursing home" has the same meaning as in section 3721.01 of the Revised Code.

(5) "Veteran" has the same meaning as in section 5901.01 of the Revised Code.

(B) There are hereby established the Ohio veterans' homes within the department of veterans services. The department shall maintain and operate state veterans' homes as administered under the state veterans' home programs defined in Title 38 of the United States Code.

Section 5907.02 | Authority of director - duties - superintendent.
 

The director of veterans services shall govern the Ohio veterans' homes and have charge and custody of the homes' facilities. The director shall govern, conduct, and care for veterans' homes, the property of the homes, and the veterans residing in the homes.

All supplies for the veterans' homes shall be purchased as provided in sections 125.04 to 125.15 of the Revised Code.

The director shall appoint a superintendent of the Ohio veterans' homes upon any terms that are proper, and the superintendent, with the advice and consent of the director, shall employ aides, assistants, and employees, and perform other duties that may be assigned to the superintendent by the director or become necessary in the carrying out of the superintendent's duties. The superintendent shall be responsible directly to the director.

Subject to section 5907.021 of the Revised Code, the superintendent may appoint one or more employees at each veterans' home as veterans' home police officers authorized to act on the grounds of that home. The superintendent shall provide to those employees a copy of the rules that apply to their appointment. The rules shall specify whether or not the police officers may carry a firearm.

Subject to section 5907.021 of the Revised Code, the superintendent shall appoint a chief of police, determine the number of officers and other personnel required by each veterans' home, and establish salary schedules and other conditions of employment for veterans' homes police officers. The chief of police shall serve at the pleasure of the superintendent and shall recommend appointment of officers as the veterans' homes may require, subject to the rules and limits that the superintendent establishes regarding qualifications, salary ranges, and the number of personnel. The superintendent, with the approval of the director, may purchase or otherwise acquire any police apparatus, equipment, or materials, including a police communication system and vehicles, that the veterans' homes police officers may require. The superintendent may send one or more of the officers or employees nominated by the police chief to a school of instruction designed to provide additional training or skills related to their work assignment at their veterans' home. The superintendent may send those officers or employees to the Ohio peace officer training academy that the superintendent considers appropriate.

Section 5907.021 | Superintendent to terminate employment of police upon felony conviction.
 

(A) As used in this section, "felony" has the same meaning as in section 109.511 of the Revised Code.

(B)(1) The superintendent of the Ohio veterans' homes shall not appoint a person as a chief of police or an employee as a Ohio veterans' home police officer on a permanent basis, on a temporary basis, for a probationary term, or on other than a permanent basis if the person or employee previously has been convicted of or has pleaded guilty to a felony.

(2)(a) The superintendent shall terminate the employment of a chief of police or the employment as a veterans' home police officer of an employee appointed as a veterans' home police officer if that chief of police or employee does either of the following:

(i) Pleads guilty to a felony;

(ii) Pleads guilty to a misdemeanor pursuant to a negotiated plea agreement as provided in division (D) of section 2929.43 of the Revised Code in which the chief of police or employee agrees to surrender the certificate awarded to that chief of police or employee under section 109.77 of the Revised Code.

(b) The superintendent shall suspend from employment a chief of police or from employment as a veterans' home police officer an employee appointed as a veterans' home police officer if that chief of police or employee is convicted, after trial, of a felony. If the chief of police or the employee files an appeal from that conviction and the conviction is upheld by the highest court to which the appeal is taken or if the chief of police or the employee does not file a timely appeal, the superintendent shall terminate the employment of that chief of police or that employee as a veterans' home police officer. If the chief of police or the employee files an appeal that results in that chief of police's or that employee's acquittal of the felony or conviction of a misdemeanor, or in the dismissal of the felony charge against that chief of police or that employee, the superintendent shall reinstate that chief of police or that employee as a veterans' home police officer. A chief of police or an employee who is reinstated as a veterans' home police officer under division (B)(2)(b) of this section shall not receive any back pay unless the conviction of that chief of police or that employee of the felony was reversed on appeal, or the felony charge was dismissed, because the court found insufficient evidence to convict the chief of police or the employee of the felony.

(3) Division (B) of this section does not apply regarding an offense that was committed prior to January 1, 1997.

(4) The suspension from employment, or the termination of the employment, of a chief of police or a veterans' home police officer under division (B)(2) of this section shall be in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.

Section 5907.022 | Expanding nursing home care and domiciliary services.
 

The director of veterans services may do either of the following to expand nursing home care and domiciliary services to veterans at sites other than the Ohio veterans' homes and nursing homes:

(A) Enter into contracts or agreements, including agreements for the acceptance of grants, to construct, lease, purchase, or otherwise acquire real property or facilities to establish a network of facilities;

(B) Enter into contracts with private providers.

Section 5907.03 | Inspection by congress of the United States.
 

The management and control of veterans' homes shall be subject to such inspection and supervision as the congress of the United States may require as a condition of making appropriations for their maintenance. A person appointed or designated by congress may make such inspection and exercise such supervision, and, if so required by congress, the person may have and exercise the privileges of the director of veterans services.

Section 5907.04 | Admission to veterans' home.
 

As used in this section, "armed forces of the United States" means the army, air force, navy, marine corps, coast guard, and any other military service branch that is designated by congress as a part of the armed forces of the United States.

Subject to the following paragraph, all veterans, who served during a period of conflict as determined by the United States department of veterans affairs or any person who is awarded either the armed forces expeditionary medal established by presidential executive order 10977 dated December 4, 1961, or the Vietnam service medal established by presidential executive order 11231 dated July 8, 1965, who have been honorably discharged or separated under honorable conditions therefrom, or any discharged members of the Polish and Czechoslovakian armed forces who served in armed conflict with an enemy of the United States in World War II who have been citizens of the United States for at least ten years, provided that the above-mentioned persons have been citizens of this state for one year or more at the date of making application for admission, are disabled by disease, wounds, or otherwise, and are by reason of such disability incapable of earning their living, and all members of the Ohio national guard or naval militia who have lost an arm or leg, or their sight, or become permanently disabled from any cause, while in the line and discharge of duty, and are not able to support themselves, may be admitted to a veterans' home under such rules as the director of veterans services adopts.

A veteran who served in the armed forces of the United States is eligible for admission to a veterans' home under the preceding paragraph only if the person has the characteristics defined in division (B)(1) of section 5901.01 of the Revised Code.

Veterans' homes may reserve a bed during the temporary absence of a resident or patient from the home, including a nursing home within it, under conditions prescribed by the director, to include hospitalization for an acute condition, visits with relatives and friends, and participation in therapeutic programs outside the home. A home shall not reserve a bed for more than thirty days, except that absences for more than thirty days due to hospitalization may be authorized.

Section 5907.06 | Incompetent person not admitted to home.
 

(A) A person with a mental illness subject to court order whose mental condition causes the person to be dangerous to the community shall not be admitted to a veterans' home. If a person with a mental illness subject to court order, through misrepresentation as to the person's condition, is sent to a home, the person shall be returned to, and the expense of the return shall be borne by, the county from which the person came.

(B) As used in this section, "person with a mental illness subject to court order" has the same meaning as in section 5122.01 of the Revised Code.

Last updated March 10, 2023 at 1:12 PM

Section 5907.07 | Veterans service commission fund to pay expense of transportation.
 

When a veteran is entitled to admission into a veterans' home, the chairperson of the veterans service commission of the county in which the veteran resides, upon application, may furnish the veteran transportation to the home by the most direct route from the veteran's residence. The transportation shall be paid from the veterans service commission fund of the county.

Section 5907.08 | Proceedings when resident becomes incompetent.
 

When a resident of a veterans' home becomes dangerous to the community due to a mental illness, the superintendent of the Ohio veterans' homes shall file with the probate judge of the county in which the home is located substantially the following affidavit:

"The State of Ohio, __________ county, ss. ___________, superintendent of the Ohio veterans' homes, being duly sworn, says that the superintendent believes that ____________, a resident of the veterans' home located in __________ county, has a mental illness; that, in consequence of the resident's mental illness, the resident's being at large is dangerous to the community, and that the resident was received into the home from ____________ county, on the ______ day of _________, _____

____________________"

Section 5907.09 | Hearing by probate judge - costs.
 

(A) When the affidavit referred to in section 5907.08 of the Revised Code is filed, the probate judge shall forthwith determine whether the resident is a person with a mental illness subject to court order. Insofar as applicable, the laws governing in cases of admission to a state hospital for persons with mental illness shall apply. The probate judge shall have the same authority, and may receive and order paid the same fees and costs, as the probate judge would have in the county in which the veteran was a resident at the time of entering the veterans' home.

(B) As used in this section, "person with a mental illness subject to court order" has the same meaning as in section 5122.01 of the Revised Code.

Last updated March 10, 2023 at 1:13 PM

Section 5907.10 | Nursing home within veterans' home.
 

(A) The Ohio veterans' homes shall maintain and operate a nursing home as part of each veterans' home for the benefit of honorably discharged veterans admitted to a veterans' home under this chapter. The nursing homes are subject to sections 3721.01 to 3721.09 and 3721.99 of the Revised Code.

(B) The nursing home within the veterans' home located in Sandusky shall be known as "The Robert T. Secrest Nursing Home."

Section 5907.11 | Resident's benefit funds.
 

(A) The superintendent of the Ohio veterans' homes, with the approval of the director of veterans services, may establish a local fund for each veterans' home to be used for the entertainment and welfare of the residents of the home. Each fund shall be designated as the residents' benefit fund and shall be operated for the exclusive benefit of the residents of the associated home. Each fund shall receive all revenue from the sale of commissary items at the associated home and shall receive all moneys received as donations by the associated home from any source.

(B) The superintendent, subject to the approval of the director, shall establish rules for the operation of the residents' benefit funds.

Section 5907.12 | Volunteer programs.
 

The superintendent of the Ohio veterans' homes may utilize the services of volunteers to assist in attending to and caring for residents, assisting in resident activities, caring for veterans' homes' buildings and grounds, and participating in any other services that accomplish any of the superintendent's purposes related to veterans' homes. All volunteer programs are subject to the superintendent's approval. The superintendent may recruit, train, and supervise the services of community volunteers or volunteer groups for volunteer programs. The superintendent may designate volunteers as state employees for the purpose of motor vehicle accident liability insurance under section 9.83 of the Revised Code and for the purpose of indemnification from liability incurred in the performance of their duties under section 9.87 of the Revised Code.

Section 5907.13 | Assessment of fees to pay expenses of support.
 

Residents of veterans' homes may be assessed a fee to pay a portion of the expenses of their support, dependent upon their ability to pay. Subject to controlling board approval, the director of veterans services shall adopt rules for determining a resident's ability to pay. Each resident shall furnish the required statements of income, assets, debts, and expenses.

All fees contributed by the residents under this section shall be deposited into an interest-bearing account in a public depository in accordance with section 135.18 of the Revised Code. All of these fees shall be paid to the treasurer of state within thirty days after the end of the month of receipt, together with all interest credited to the account to date. The treasurer of state shall credit eighty per cent of these fees and of this interest to the Ohio veterans' homes operating fund and twenty per cent of these fees and of this interest to the Ohio veterans' homes fund.

The fee for each resident shall be based upon the level of care provided to the resident by the resident's home. The director shall determine authorized levels of care for residents. The assessment for each resident shall not exceed the difference between the total per diem amount collected by the state for maintenance from all sources on the resident's behalf and the average annual per diem cost for the resident's maintenance, computed in accordance with veterans administration regulations.

Section 5907.131 | Ohio veterans' homes operating fund.
 

There is hereby created in the state treasury the Ohio veterans' homes operating fund, in which shall be placed the fee and interest revenue credited to it under section 5907.13 of the Revised Code. The fund shall be used for paying the operating costs of veterans' homes.

Section 5907.14 | Ohio veterans' homes fund.
 

There is hereby created in the state treasury the Ohio veterans' homes fund, to which shall be credited the fee and interest revenue specified in section 5907.13 of the Revised Code. The fund shall be used only for the following purposes:

(A) Paying the cost of capital facilities or equipment purchases for veterans' homes;

(B) Participation in capital facilities for veterans' homes with the federal government, municipal corporations, counties, or other governmental agencies.

Section 5907.141 | Ohio veterans' homes federal grant fund.
 

(A) All money received from the United States department of veterans affairs in per diem grants for care that veterans' homes provide shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the Ohio veterans' homes federal grant fund, which is hereby created. Money credited to the fund shall be used only for the operating costs of veterans' homes.

(B) Any resident of a veterans' home whom the United States department of veterans affairs determines to have excess income or assets, or is denied per diem for any reason by the United States department of veterans affairs, therefore rendering the home ineligible to collect per diem grant reimbursement for days of care provided to that resident, may be required to pay, in addition to the fees assessed under section 5907.13 of the Revised Code, an amount equal to the rate of per diem grant that the department denied for that particular resident. Any amount that the resident pays under this division shall be collected and distributed in the same manner as the fees assessed under section 5907.13 of the Revised Code.

Section 5907.15 | Ohio veterans' homes rental, service, and medicare reimbursement fund.
 

There is hereby created in the state treasury the Ohio veterans' homes rental and service fund. Revenue generated from temporary use agreements of a veterans' home, from the sale of meals at a home's dining halls, and from rental, lease, or sharing agreements for the use of facilities, supplies, equipment, utilities, or services provided by a home shall be credited to the fund. The fund shall be used for maintenance costs of the homes and for the purchase of medications, medication services, medical supplies, and medical equipment by the homes.

Section 5907.16 | Medicare services fund.
 

There is hereby created in the state treasury the medicare services fund. Revenue from federal reimbursement of medicare services that were provided at state veterans' homes shall be credited to the fund. The fund shall be used for paying the operating costs of the state veterans' homes.

Section 5907.17 | Physician recruitment program.
 

(A) As used in this section, "physician" means an individual authorized under Chapter 4731. of the Revised Code to practice medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery.

(B) The department of veterans services may establish a physician recruitment program under which the department agrees to repay all or part of the principal and interest of a governmental or other educational loan incurred by a physician who agrees to provide services to institutions under the department's administration.

(C) A physician is eligible to participate in the recruitment program if the physician attended a medical or osteopathic medical school that was, at the time of attendance, either located in the United States and accredited by the liaison committee on medical education or the American osteopathic association or located outside the United States and acknowledged by the world health organization and verified by a member state of that organization as operating within that state's jurisdiction.

(D) The department and each physician it recruits shall enter into a contract that includes all of the following terms:

(1) The physician agrees to provide a specified scope of medical or osteopathic medical services for a specified number of hours per week and for a specified number of years to patients of one or more specified institutions administered by the department.

(2) The department agrees to repay all or a specified portion of the principal and interest of a governmental or other educational loan taken by the physician for the following expenses if the physician meets the service obligation agreed to and the expenses were incurred while the physician was enrolled in, for up to a maximum of four years, a school that qualifies the physician to participate in the program:

(a) Tuition;

(b) Other educational expenses for specific purposes, including fees, books, and laboratory expenses, in amounts determined to be reasonable in accordance with rules adopted under division (E) of this section;

(c) Room and board, in an amount determined to be reasonable in accordance with rules adopted under division (E) of this section.

(3) The physician agrees to pay the department a specified amount, which shall be not less than the amount already paid by the department pursuant to its agreement, as damages if the physician fails to complete the service obligation agreed to or fails to comply with other specified terms of the contract. The contract may vary the amount of damages based on the portion of the physician's service obligation that remains uncompleted as determined by the department.

(4) Other terms agreed upon by the parties.

(E) The department shall adopt rules under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code that establish all of the following:

(1) Criteria for designating institutions for which physicians will be recruited;

(2) Criteria for selecting physicians for participation in the program;

(3) Criteria for determining the portion of a physician's loan that the department will agree to repay;

(4) Criteria for determining reasonable amounts of the expenses described in divisions (D)(2)(b) and (c) of this section;

(5) Procedures for monitoring compliance by physicians with the terms of their contracts; and

(6) Any other criteria or procedures necessary to implement the program.

Section 5907.18 | Bingo at veterans' homes.
 

(A) As used in this section, "bingo," "bingo game operator," and "participant" have the same meanings as in section 2915.01 of the Revised Code.

(B) Notwithstanding sections 2915.07 to 2915.13 of the Revised Code, an Ohio veterans' home may conduct bingo games as described in division (O)(1) of section 2915.01 of the Revised Code, but only if the Ohio veterans' home complies with all of the following requirements:

(1) All bingo games are conducted only on the premises of the Ohio veterans' home.

(2) All participants are residents of the Ohio veterans' home and are eighteen years of age or older.

(3) All bingo game operators receive no compensation for serving as an operator.

(4) Participants do not pay any money or any other thing of value, including an admission fee, or any fee for bingo cards or sheets, objects to cover the spaces, or other devices used in playing bingo, for the privilege of participating in the bingo game, or to defray any costs of the game, or pay tips or make donations during or immediately before or after the bingo game.

(5) Prizes awarded during a game may be monetary or nonmonetary prizes in the form of merchandise, goods, or entitlements to goods or services, provided that individual prizes do not exceed one hundred dollars in value, and the total value of all prizes awarded during a game do not exceed five hundred dollars.

(6) The bingo game is not conducted during or within ten hours of any of the following activities conducted at the Ohio veterans' home:

(a) A bingo session during which a charitable bingo game is conducted pursuant to sections 2915.07 to 2915.11 of the Revised Code;

(b) A scheme of chance or game of chance; or

(c) Bingo as described in division (O)(2) of section 2915.01 of the Revised Code.

(7) The bingo games are conducted on different days of the week and not more than twice in a calendar week.