(A) Each applicant for financial assistance under sections 5901.01 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code shall provide the veterans service commission with a statement concerning the applicant's household income and the amount of real and personal taxable property, stocks, bonds, moneys on hand loaned or deposited in any bank or elsewhere, shares in building associations, mortgages, notes, or other articles of value from which the applicant derives an income or revenue. The statement shall be made upon blanks furnished by the commission and shall be subscribed by the applicant.

Statements provided under this division shall not include medical records and, pursuant to division (B) of this section, are not public records under section 149.43 of the Revised Code. Veterans service commissions may compile statistical data from the statements in a manner to be prescribed by the department of veterans services. These data shall be considered a matter of public record.

(B) The following are not public records under section 149.43 of the Revised Code:

(1) A statement described in division (A) of this section;

(2) Any application for financial assistance under sections 5901.01 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code;

(3) Any documents that accompany and pertain to a statement described in division (A) of this section or an application described in division (B)(2) of this section;

(4) Any other documents that are used by or are in the possession of a veterans service commission that may affect the determination of the eligibility of an applicant for financial assistance under sections 5901.01 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code or that may affect the determination of an increase, decrease, or discontinuance of an allowance under section 5901.14 of the Revised Code, if those documents are required to be kept confidential under any statute of this state or the United States;

(5) Any applications to obtain benefits under any law of the United States or of this state, and any documents accompanying those applications, in the possession of a veterans service commission and filed by persons in the armed forces of the United States, veterans, or the spouses, surviving spouses, children, parents, or dependents of veterans.

(C) Interviews of applicants for financial assistance under sections 5901.01 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code, discussions of the applications, statements, and other documents described in division (B) of this section, and reviews of matters relating to applicants' requests for financial assistance under sections 5901.01 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code shall be kept confidential. In accordance with division (J) of section 121.22 of the Revised Code, a veterans service commission shall conduct a meeting of the commission or a portion of a meeting of the commission to interview an applicant for financial assistance under sections 5901.01 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code, to discuss an application, statement, or other document described in division (B) of this section, or to review matters relating to an applicant's request for financial assistance under sections 5901.01 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code in an executive session.

(D) Except as otherwise provided in division (E) of this section or division (B) of section 5902.04 of the Revised Code, a veterans service commission shall ensure that the applications, statements, and other documents described in division (B) of this section are not used for any purpose other than to determine the eligibility of the applicant for financial assistance under sections 5901.01 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code or to determine whether to increase, decrease, or discontinue an allowance under section 5901.14 of the Revised Code.

(E)

(1) An applicant for, or a recipient or former recipient of, financial assistance under sections 5901.01 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code may consent to the release by a veterans service commission of any information in an application, statement, or other document described in division (B) of this section that pertains to the applicant, recipient, or former recipient by completing and signing a release of information form. The form shall be prescribed by the department of veterans services. An applicant for, or a recipient or former recipient of, financial assistance shall sign a separate release of information form each time the applicant, recipient, or former recipient consents to the release of any specific information in the application, statement, or other document involved. A copy of each signed release of information form shall be kept in the file of the applicant, recipient, or former recipient kept by the commission. The release of information form shall specify the following items:

(a) The individual, agency, or organization requesting the information;

(b) The specific information requested;

(c) The intended use of the information requested;

(d) The date of the request for the information;

(e) The signature of the person who consents to the release of the information.

(2) A law enforcement officer may obtain an application, statement, or document as described in division (B) of this section pursuant to an investigation by a law enforcement authority, upon the issuance of a court order established upon reasonable grounds that the information contained in the application, statement, or document is relevant to a suspected violation of law.

(3)

(a) A party to a matter pending before a court may obtain an application, statement, or document as described in division (B) of this section, if upon application to a court of competent jurisdiction, the party proves all of the following:

(i) The information contained in the application, statement, or document is relevant and material to the matter before the court.

(ii) Disclosure of the application, statement, or document serves the interests of justice, because the need of the party requesting the information within the application, statement, or document outweighs the privacy interest of the applicant, recipient, or former recipient of financial assistance under sections 5901.01 to 5901.15 of the Revised Code.

(iii) No other reasonable mean exists to obtain the information contained in the application, statement, or document.

(b) If the party to a matter pending before a court proves all of the elements in division (E)(3)(a) of this section, the court may order the disclosure of an application, statement, or document described in division (B) of this section. For purposes of this division the court shall do all of the following:

(i) Indicate the specific application, statement, or document to be disclosed;

(ii) Indicate the purpose for the disclosure of the application, statement, or document;

(iii) Indicate the person to whom the application, statement, or document will be disclosed.

Effective Date: 11-09-1995; 2008 SB289 08-22-2008 .