CINCINNATI — Within minutes of Air Force veteran Randolph McGee’s story running on WCPO's weekly Homefront segment, emails and calls came into anchor Craig McKee.
While the Cincinnati VA office worked to connect McGee with financial relief from the Hamilton County Veterans Service Commission, a WCPO viewer told Craig she wanted to know how much it would take to cover McGee's rent.
After several days, it was clear the VSC was willing to cover one month of the newly raised rent of $650 for McGee’s apartment. This meant a balance of $1,475 as McGee prepared to face a judge in his eviction case.
McGee is like thousands of other veterans across the country including some here in the Tri-State who had their disability payments cut by the VA. For McGee, it was a non-service-connected benefit, and it was stopped due to the fact he was also receiving social security — a double payment McGee wasn’t aware he couldn’t receive.
That’s why he reached out to WCPO Anchor Craig McKee for a solution.
After two months of not receiving the non-service-connected disability payment he once relied on, his delinquent rent was becoming an issue.
McKee reached out to the VA to make the connection for him as McGee had limited mobility and transportation issues.
The Cincinnati VA hooked him up with Freestore Foodbank’s bi-weekly food drop-off so he can have fresh food.
With the realization that he now has to live off a much smaller monthly amount, McGee still didn’t have the money available to pay off the back rent to his landlord to prevent eviction.
After McKee told the woman that the VSC would only be covering one month of rent and the man's balance would be $1,475, the viewer replied that would likely be what her tax return would be, and she couldn’t think of any better way to spend it.
With that, McGee’s situation should be taken care of for now as he learns to live on smaller means and with the assistance of food deliveries.
If you’re a veteran and are struggling financially or unclear of the paperwork you’ve received, reach out to the VA office at 909 Vine Street in Cincinnati or contact your local county Veterans Service Commission to get guidance and referrals to resources.
You can also call the Cincinnati VA office at 513-977-6800.
If you have a veteran story to tell in your community, email homefront@wcpo.com. You also can join the Homefront Facebook group, follow Craig McKee on Facebook and find more Homefront stories here.
