Senate Bill 11, The "Jason Gresko Act", created the Volunteer Peace Officers' Dependents Fund (VPODF) which provides death benefits to survivors of volunteer peace officers killed in the line of duty and disability benefits to disabled volunteer peace officers.

Ohio Revised Code 143.01(C) defines "Volunteer peace officer" as "any person who is employed as a police officer, sheriff's deputy, constable, or deputy marshal in a part-time, reserve, or volunteer capacity by a county sheriff's department or the police department of a municipal corporation, township, township police district, or joint police district and is not a member of the public employees retirement system, Ohio police and fire pension fund, state highway patrol retirement system, or the Cincinnati retirement system."

Each political subdivision with a police or sheriff's department that employs volunteer peace officers is a member of the Fund and each Fund member must establish a board to administer claims for the benefits from the Fund.

Each board must have the following members:

• Two members elected by the legislative authority of the Fund member that maintains the police or sheriff's department.
• Two members elected by the volunteer peace officers of the police or sheriff's department (Employed by the police department).
• One member elected by the other four members (cannot be a public employee, member of the legislative authority, or peace office for that department; must be a citizen registered to vote in that area).

One of the five board members shall serve as a chairperson and one shall serve as the secretary. All correspondence will be emailed to the Board Secretary. It is the Board Secretary’s responsibility to forward to the appropriate person

The secretary shall submit the following (All correspondence will be sent through the Board Secretary):

1. The names and addresses of the elected board member and identify their membership status; and
2. The current assessed property valuation of protection coverage. This information can be obtained by contacting your county auditor.

Board members must be named annually by Dec. 31. Subsequent board member terms will be Jan. 1 through Dec. 31.

For more detailed information on the VPOFD, click here for Ohio Revised Code, Chapter 143: Volunteer Peace Officers Dependents. Contact the grant administrator at 614-752-7122 or CommerceGrants@com.state.oh.us should you have any questions.

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