About Us

The Veterans Service Commission is a county agency that was established to assist honorably discharged veterans, their spouses and minor children. We strive to maintain a strong relationship with veterans and their dependents living in Defiance County so that we can connect them to the federal, state and county agencies that are in place to serve them.

There are five distinct services that our agency provides:

• Financial assistance to eligible veterans and family members who demonstrate a need. We assist veterans who have met with unexpected hardships and help provide them with financial assistance for necessities like mortgage, rent, food and utilities. Click here to download and print out the Financial Assistance Form for Defiance County Veterans.
• Assistance navigating benefits and issues with the Department of Veterans Affairs. This includes preparing claims for the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs so that veterans and their eligible dependents can receive compensation, pension and education benefits.
• Transportation to VA Medical Appointments, to and from VA Medical Centers. Veterans living in Defiance County, who need transportation to and from VA medical appointments, may contact our office directly to schedule transportation. There is no charge for this door-to-door transportation service. One caregiver may accompany the veteran.

• Military Discharges, Records and Corrections

• Veterans Home

  Sandusky Veterans Home: The Ohio Veterans Home in Sandusky is a 427-bed nursing home facility offering two levels of care: standard care for those in need of any intermediate level of care and special care for those with memory care needs. The Home opened in 1888 to care for veterans of the Civil War and has been in continuous operation since.

  https://dvs.ohio.gov/veterans-homes/sandusky/sandusky

  “Georgetown Veterans Home: The Ohio Veterans Home in Georgetown is a 168-bed nursing home facility offering two levels of care: standard care for veterans in need of any intermediate level of care and memory care for those with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. The home opened in 2003 in the scenic countryside of Brown County.

  Georgetown | Department of Veterans Services (ohio.gov)

Mission

The mission of the Defiance County Veterans Office and Veterans Service Commission is to provide emergency relief and benefit services to veterans who served this country and to their family members and survivors.

History

The Veterans Service Commission was established in 1886 by the Ohio Legislature to assist Veterans and their families in times of need. Defiance County Veterans Office serves Defiance County, Ohio Veterans by actively identifying, connecting with and advocating for veterans and their families. Ohio is home to more than 848,000 veterans – the sixth largest population of veterans in the United States. There are approximately over 3,000 Veterans in Defiance County.

DVS coordinates the training and certification of Ohio’s County Veterans Service officers and County Veterans Service commissioners in all 88 counties to ensure accurate US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) claims that maximize Ohio veterans’ benefits and compensation.

Commissioners

Chris Newton – American Legion www.legion.org

David Lulfs – AMVETS www.amvets.org

Thomas Kent – Disabled American Veterans www.dav.org

J.D. Grim – Military Order of the Purple Heart www.purpleheart.org

Peter Kennerk – Veterans of Foreign Wars www.vfw.org

Meet the Staff

Office Manager – Tanya Brunner
Email: tanyabrunner@defiancecounty.oh.gov

Service Officer – Erin Clady
Email: erinclady@defiancecounty.oh.gov

Admin Assistant – Crystal Ankney
Email: crystalgoodnight@defiancecounty.oh.gov