Gov. Ted Strickland will move to create a cabinet-level department of veterans affairs to coordinate and emphasize veterans issues, after a report he commissioned supported the formation of a new agency, a spokesman said Thursday.

Strickland likely will need legislative approval to follow through with his goal, which was part of his campaign for governor.

The 22-member Veterans Study Council, formed by executive order in May, recommended the department as the best way to improve the state's performance in connecting its veterans with disability benefits, pension payments and other services that are available through the federal government.

The federal government has ranked Ohio 43rd among the states for veterans' use of those services. Ohio -- which has the nation's sixth largest population of veterans -- has lagged other states in securing federal money for veterans. More than 1 million veterans live in Ohio, and thousands more from the state are serving in the military.

About 9.8 percent of Ohio veterans receive either disability compensation or pension benefits. The national average is 12.1 percent.

The governor already has an Office of Veterans Affairs, which advises him on veterans issues and oversees county-level offices. But creating a cabinet office, which would be equal to agencies such as the health department or the prisons department, would give the issue more visibility and status, Strickland has said.