Jim Groen served four years in the Marine Corps as a combat engineer, but it took him more than a decade to get the VA to fully recognize what that service cost him. His claim first stalled out in 2011, and for years afterward he struggled to get help for the harder, less visible parts of his military service. It wasn't until he walked into a county-run event for veterans that things started moving again.
Groen attended the Hamilton County Veterans Appreciation Day last year at Sawyer Point, where he connected with the Hamilton County Veterans Service Commission and signed up for help with his case. As reported by WCPO 9 Cincinnati, the commission assigned him a service officer, and he submitted claims backed by buddy letters from fellow Marines, his wife, and his daughter. The V.A. ultimately helped him secure disability benefits and get his rating back up, according to the station's report.
Groen told the station he was apprehensive about entering big crowds, but described the event itself as a real good time. Through the process, he connected with many different veterans via the county commission and now says he wants every veteran to receive the benefits they have earned, adding that he believes many veterans have slipped through the cracks over the years.
A Bigger Stage for a Growing Event
This year's event moves again, from Sawyer Point to TQL Stadium, and organizers expect the biggest crowd yet. Attendance has climbed from more than 2,000 people at the inaugural 2024 gathering at Great American Ball Park to roughly 3,000 at Sawyer Point in 2025, and county officials now project up to 5,000 attendees at the 2026 event, according to Hamilton County Government. The 2026 edition carries an America 250 theme tied to the nation's upcoming 250th anniversary.
Glenn Welling, executive director, said per the same account that the event's main purpose is celebration and bringing veterans together, and that it connects them with one another and with benefits they have earned. The gathering runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. next Saturday, Aug. 15, and includes food and festivities alongside the resource tables.
More than 100 non-profit organizations, local government agencies, and community vendors are scheduled to staff resource tables offering help with housing, legal services, employment, and mental health, per Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services. That scale reflects a record $3.2 million operating budget the county commissioners approved this year for the Veterans Service Commission, the largest annual allocation for veteran services in county history.
VA Bringing Enrollment Staff and On-the-Spot Sign-Ups
The Cincinnati Veterans Administration will have a significant presence at TQL Stadium, setting up 11 to 12 tables to provide services and answer veterans' questions, according to WCPO. Chris Klug, acting public affairs chief of the Cincinnati VA, said an enrollment specialist will check eligibility and enroll veterans the same day if they qualify.
The event's veterans justice, military trauma, and standard health benefits programs will all be available for on-the-spot enrollment, the station reports. That capability traces back to a 2024 federal policy shift: under Section 103 of the PACT Act, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs expanded eligibility so combat veterans and those exposed to toxic hazards or burn pits can enroll directly in VA healthcare without first proving a service-connected disability, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Cincinnati VA Medical Center already provides care and benefits to roughly 40,000 enrolled veterans across the Tri-State region, and that expanded eligibility has driven a national surge in sign-ups. Nationwide, VA healthcare enrollment reached 554,150 new enrollees between August 2022 and this past March, a 33% increase over the prior two-year period, the department's data shows.
Emergency Aid and a New Home for Year-Round Help
Beyond the one-day event, the Hamilton County Veterans Service Commission handled a substantial volume of case work in 2025, providing more than $236,000 in emergency financial aid to over 500 local veterans and their families for rent, food, utilities, and medical care, according to county records. That mission is now anchored at a new address: in February, the commission relocated to the Hamilton County Central Campus at 1701 Patricia McCollum Way in Bond Hill, co-locating with Job and Family Services and public health programs, as Hoodline reported when the safety-net hub left downtown.
For veterans who cannot make it out on Aug. 15, that Bond Hill campus offers a year-round path to the same kind of help Groen received. Regional transit authority Metro has in past years partnered with the county to provide fare-free rides on fixed-route and paratransit buses for active military members and veterans presenting military ID during the appreciation event, according to the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority.
Groen's story is the kind organizers say they hope to multiply at TQL Stadium next Saturday: a veteran who almost gave up on a claim that stalled 15 years ago, ultimately reconnected to earned benefits through a service officer he met at a county event. Whether this year's larger crowd translates into more veterans getting enrolled on the spot will depend on the same VA staff and county caseworkers who have quietly built the program since 2024.
.jpg){kind=link}