Board meeting (in-person only)

1835 Prospect Ave E Cleveland, OH 44115 (Directions)

Main office, Boardroom

Founded in 1886, the Cuyahoga County Veterans Service Commission was established to assist honorably discharged veterans, their spouses and minor children. It prepares claims for the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs so that veterans and their eligible dependents can receive compensation, pension and education benefits. It also assists clients who have been met with unexpected hardships by providing financial assistance to help with mortgage, rent, food, utilities and other expenses of daily life. It prepares veterans for employment and provides resources that enhance their qualifications for new careers. Its social work staff can provide a case managed environment for those clients who need more direct intervention. The Veterans Service Commission is legislated by the State of Ohio and funded by Cuyahoga County property taxes. Each of the 88 Veterans Service Commissions in the State of Ohio has a board of five commissioners created under the Ohio Revised Code, ORC 5901, who administer the programs for their respective counties.

Note: This is currently in an in-person only meeting. The commission records audio of it, but that audio is available only through a public records request, leaving us unsure of when the audio will be available. It may be helpful for your coverage to record your own audio of the meeting, but it is not a requirement of the assignment. We add two additional hours of pay to in-person assignments ($108 minimum payment).

Note: This is also our first time covering this commission, so we don’t know exactly what to expect. Lead with your curiosity and feel free to note if something doesn’t make sense in your coverage. Commission members may ask you to introduce yourself and share more about Documenters. Here is some suggested language in response:

“I am a Documenter trained to monitor public meetings in the public interest. My work is made publicly available in collaboration with Signal Cleveland’s Cleveland Documenters program. For more information visit cleveland.documenters.org/.”

Commission members:

• Mel Baher, American Legion
• Frank Pocci, AMVETS
• Lenon Wright, Disabled American Veterans
• Jim Riley, Veterans of Foreign Wars
• Bob Potts, Vietnam Veterans of America

Learn more about the agency:

• Meeting agendas and minutes
• Staff
• Facebook page

Find past Documenters coverage of this meeting here (nothing here yet!): https://cleveland.documenters.org/reporting/?agency=155

Check the source website for additional information