Ohio Military Veteran Educators Program Recruiting Initiative

Military Recruit Award

The Military Recruit Award acknowledges the valuable skills and experiences military personnel bring to the field of education. The award provides financial incentives to attract and retain service members, veterans, and their spouses to work in public schools.  

The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce reimburses districts or schools that provide a hiring bonus to military individuals who remain employed with the school for at least one year. The Department provides a bonus to the district or school for hiring and recruiting an eligible military individual. 

School Transportation Incentive

Institutions that hire an eligible employee in a school transportation role will receive an increased Employer Bonus. These funds are unrestricted and may be used to support recruitment or training costs.

Applicants who qualify for the Military Recruit Award and are employed in a school transportation role can qualify for an increased Employee Bonus amount. Eligible positions include: 

  • Bus Driver 
  • Motor Van Driver 
  • Bus Aide 
  • Transportation Director/Supervisor 
  • Vehicle Maintenance Personnel 
  • On-the-Bus Instructors 
  • School Bus Mechanic 
  • Dispatchers 

Eligibility

The Military Recruit Award is available to eligible military individuals who are: 

  1. An active duty member of any branch of the United States armed forces;
  2. A veteran of any branch of the United States armed forces who separated from service with an honorable discharge; 
  3. A member of the national guard or a member of a reserve component of the United States armed forces; or
  4. A spouse of a service member or veteran with an honorable discharge. 

The award is open to both certified and classified staff. Eligible individuals must meet the following criteria: ​

  • Hired as a new, first-time employee at an eligible public educational institution, including: 
    • School districts 
    • Community schools 
    • Joint vocational schools 
    • Independent STEM schools 
    • Educational Service Centers (ESCs) 
    • Boards of Developmental Disabilities 
  • Hired into a full-time position; 
  • Hired no earlier than July 1, 2023; 
    • Applicants who worked in any Ohio school prior to this date are not eligible. 

The employing school or district must also have an assurance agreement on file with the Department.

Assurances

To qualify for the award, the accepting school or district must agree to the following assurances:

  • Employer Bonus: The Department will pay a $1,500 bonus to the employer for hiring and recruiting an eligible military individual. These funds are unrestricted and can be utilized at the discretion of the school or district. Payments of $1,500 will be issued after each successful hire, upon completion of the DEW application process.  
    • Note: This bonus amount increases to $3,000 for eligible new hires working in a school transportation role.
  • Employee Bonus: The employer will offer a $3,000 bonus to employees that meet eligibility criteria and complete one year of employment at the school or district. The Department will provide the bonus to the employer to pay the employee and the additional costs associated with the bonues. The payment includes reimbursement of Medicare and retirement costs to the employer. This includes 1.45% for Medicare and 14% for the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) or School Employees Retirement System (SERS). 
    • Note: This bonus amount increases to $5,000 for eligible new hires working in a school transportation role.

Schools and districts are only required to have one assurance agreement on file. The agreement does not need to be resubmitted with each application. 

Awards 

The Department provides these awards through the State Foundation Payment System. Applications can take up to 4 weeks to process. The following are general steps to accept the awards:

Employer Bonus

  1. District or school completes Assurance Agreement (one time only).
  2. Staff member completes Military Recruit Award Application Form.
  3. District or School submits above documents to OhioMVEP@education.ohio.gov.
  4. Applicant uploads military verification documents to the Educator Licensure and Records (CORE) app through their OHID account.
  5. The Department reviews the application and determines eligibility.
    • The Department verifies employment by reviewing staff records that are reported in the Education Management Information System.
    • Adult education teachers employed by a Joint Vocational School District and Boards of Developmental Disabilities staff need to submit this form. 
  6. After eligibility is verified, the Department will notify the employer of the upcoming payment. 
  7. The Department provides award through the State Foundation Payment System using JV90 adjustment. Payment will be issued the month following document submission to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.

Employee Bonus

  1. Submit a letter of employment verification after one year of employment to  OhioMVEP@education.ohio.gov. The letter should include: 
    • Employee’s full name; 
    • Dates of employment; 
    • Principal or supervisor’s signature. 
  2. The Department will notify the employer and employee of the upcoming payment.  
  3. The Department provides award through the State Foundation Payment System using JV90 adjustment. Payment will be issued the month following document submission to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.
  4. The school or district provides the bonus to the employee in accordance with the assurance agreement. ​​​

Military Eligibility Verification

Applicants must verify military service by uploading copies of the verification document listed below. Service verification documents should be uploaded to the Educator Licensure and Records (CORE) app through their OHID account. 

Current Service Members

Current members of the U.S. Armed Forces, Reserves, or National Guard can upload a copy of the front of your current military ID card. For current members of the Ohio Military Reserve or Ohio Naval Militia, upload a copy of your current State of Ohio Uniformed Services ID card.

Veterans

As who are a veteran of any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces can upload one of the following documents:

  • DD Form 214 including the Character of Service (must be Honorable),
  • NGB 22 including the Character of Service (must be Honorable)

Military Spouses

Applicants who are a spouse of an active duty service member can upload one of the following documents:

  • DD Form 1173 (front and back) reflecting sponsor service status of AD (Active Duty), or
  • U.S. Department of Defense Next Generation USID card (front and back) reflecting a sponsor affiliation of Active Duty.

Veteran Spouses 

Applicants who are the spouse of a veteran can upload the following documents:

  • DD Form 214 including the Character of Service (must be Honorable); or
  • NGB 22 including the Character of Service (must be Honorable); and
  • Marriage license

Email questions to OhioMVEP@education.ohio.gov.

Last Modified: 2/25/2026 9:41:07 AM