Voluntary Services

• Must be 18 or older
• Must be willing to make a commitment
• Can begin the volunteer process at any time of the year
• Must be willing to undergo a background check and Tuberculosis test
• Must have COVID vaccination(s)
• Must have flu vaccination

• Normal operating hours are M-F, from 7:30am-4:30pm (with the exception of some positions)
• Special events (weekends/weeknights)

Currently, we do not have any evening or weekend regularly scheduled positions, however we do host special events that occur on weekends and evenings.

Our volunteers have a wide range of contact with a variety of staff members; however, the volunteer experience is not structured to provide a shadowing/observational encounter.  Please speak with the Voluntary Service Specialist for more details.

The volunteer onboarding process can take 2-6 weeks to complete.  It is our responsibility to ensure the safety of our patients and residents with a thorough screening process.  This screening process includes a criminal background check and, in some cases, a physical examination and verification of driver’s license. 

Volunteers will observe an orientation video online and will then have a more specific orientation when they reach their unit/department. 

We appreciate the gesture but, due to patient confidentiality and infection control policies, we are unable to accommodate group volunteering on a short-term basis.  If your group is interested in doing a project for the hospital, please contact Voluntary Service at for an activity that can benefit the patients and staff at our hospital.

If you or your group is interested in performing at the hospital, please call for more information.

Please call Voluntary Service at to inform us of your donation so that we may discuss an appropriate time for drop-off.  Voluntary Service is in room C137, 3200 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45231.

Please call Voluntary Service at or email us at VHACINVoluntaryServices@Va.Gov to obtain a current wish list of items needed.

Because our patients come from diverse religious, political, and social backgrounds, we require that all donations be religiously and politically neutral.

In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 8301, VA is authorized to accept donations or gifts for the benefit of the patient.  The internal Revenue Service has announced that under the Tax Code, donations to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs General Post Fund for exclusively public purposes are deductible from federal income taxes in the manner and to the extent allowable.  The announcement reflects the tax law provision which makes those donations deductible as “donations to the United States.”

All donations will be acknowledged.  If you deliver your donation, please complete a donor form.  If you are sending a donation, please include your name, address, and phone number, and the estimated value of the donation.  We will send you a letter of acknowledgement.  We do not specify dollar amounts in our acknowledgment letters.

We are not able to pick up donations because of staffing and transportation limitations.  However, in kind donations can be mailed to Voluntary Service (135), Cincinnati VA Medical Center, 3200 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45231.

No homemade food (including candy) may be given to patients.  Many of our patients are on dietary restrictions and cannot have certain foods.  Please do not bring any edible donations to the hospital.  We also ask that you not include any food with other donations unless discussed with a Voluntary Service staff member.