To the Editor:
I have worked as the Carroll County Veterans Service Officer for almost 30 years. The first eight years I worked, I was unable to take any significant time. The reason: the Veterans Service Commission could not afford to hire another employee. Finally, they hired a clerk who would work when I was not in the office. The clerk was not trained as a Veteran Service Officer. Because of this, I tried not to be out of the office for any length of time.
As I continued to work, I accumulated more vacation and sick time. Again, beause I did not like to leave my veterans or their families without service for any long period of time, I did not use all of that year’s vacation. When the state of Ohio took over the training of Veterans Service Officers, we were required to attend two weekly schools a year plus other training sessions. This also contributed to me being out of the office a good part of the time, which also cut down on the vacation time I took.
When I informed my Veterans Service Commission Board I would be retiring in March 2011, they requested I invite the county auditor to the next meeting to discuss what benefits were entitled to me upon retirement. The county auditor attended the next meeting and explained I would be entitled to up to three years of vacation time (15 weeks) and six weeks of sick pay.
I had almost 38 weeks of vacation time, 20 weeks of sick time and two weeks of comp time accumulated. Since I could only be paid for a portion of this, the board decided that rather than have me forfeit the time I would not be paid for, I could work three days a week until I used up my vacation and comp time, or until I retired, whichever came first. It was voted on and approved and added to the minutes of the meeting.
I need to point out the Veterans Service Commission Board hired me and it is to them I answer. Although the Common Pleas Court is the appointing authority, it is not the governing authority, the Veteran Service Commission is.
To say I was shocked to find out Judge Olivito requested the auditor’s payroll clerk have a private meeting with myself, himself and the Veterans Service Commission Board to discuss my retirement is an understatement. I do not understand what he hopes to accomplish with a private meeting. Surely he does not want to influence my board (the one he appoints) to deny me my accumulated benefits. And surely he does not think I should be punished for a previous board not hiring an employee for all those years or my being dedicated to my fellow veterans and their families.
I have not asked for, nor do I expect anything I am not entitled to. All I want to do is to spend the last few months before my retirement training my replacement and doing my job without constant harassment of an unwanted nature.

Shari Howells
Carroll County Veterans Service Officer

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