Establishes the New York state veteran's assistance program to coordinate mental health and substance abuse counseling, employment and job training, housing assistance, and any other related information or services to veterans. Establishes the New York state veteran's village pilot program to identify veterans that are homeless or may soon be homeless and provide housing in a dormitory type housing until permanent housing can be provided to such veteran; provides mental health and substance abuse counseling, employment and job training programs, financial literacy, and any other assistance necessary.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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10145
IN ASSEMBLY
June 17, 2014
___________
Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Benedetto,
Lupardo, Russell, Barrett, DenDekker, Lavine, Ryan, Skoufis) -- read
once and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing the New
York state veterans assistance program and the New York state veterans
village pilot program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Legislative findings. New York state is home to more than
2 900,000 veterans, seventy-two percent of whom have served during periods
3 of conflict. The state is home to approximately 30,000 active duty
4 military personnel and another 30,000 National Guard and reserve person-
5 nel.
6 The legislature finds that transitioning from active military to
7 civilian life has proven difficult for many veterans. Studies have indi-
8 cated that two-thirds of transitioning veterans experience a difficult
9 transition from military to civilian life with nearly half not fully
10 ready to make the transition at the time of deactivation. Of the two-
11 thirds of veterans not ready to transition, many indicated they needed
12 more time to determine what to do next or simply decompress from the
13 stress inherent in active duty military service. While the federal
14 government has recognized the difficulty of transitioning to civilian
15 life and developed the Transition Assistance Program with the intent to
16 help veterans make this transition, less than half of veterans say the
17 program helped them reintegrate to civilian life. Furthermore, recent
18 veterans returning home are less likely to have family that served in
19 the military, meaning fewer networks between the military and civilian
20 world exist for veterans to connect within the transition process.
21 The legislature finds homelessness, depression, mental health disease,
22 and drug abuse are problems encountered by veterans more often than
23 their civilian, non-military counterparts and, the anxiety and uncer-
24 tainty of transitioning to the civilian world is frequently exacerbated
25 by, or a direct result of, unhealed mental and physical wounds borne on
26 the battlefield. In honor of the service, commitment, and sacrifice on
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15539-03-4
A. 10145 2
1 behalf of our Nation, the legislature declares it is the public policy
2 of New York state to promote and encourage the successful transition
3 from military to civilian life for our returning veterans. The state
4 aims to assist veterans in post service, reintegration into local commu-
5 nities and workforces, and provision of basic necessities and services
6 crucial to civilian transition.
7 § 2. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 368-a to
8 read as follows:
9 § 368-a. New York state veterans assistance program. 1. For purposes
10 of this section the term "veteran" means a person, male or female, resi-
11 dent of this state, who has served in the active military, naval service
12 or air service of the United States during a war in which the United
13 States engaged, or was a recipient of the armed expeditionary medal,
14 marine corps expeditionary medal, or global war on terrorism expedition-
15 ary medal, and who has been released from such service with an honorable
16 or general discharge.
17 2. The state director, in consultation with the adjutant general of
18 the division of military and naval affairs, the commissioner of the
19 department of labor, the commissioner of education, the commissioner of
20 mental health, the commissioner of health, and the New York state office
21 of alcoholism and substance abuse services, or any other entity that the
22 state director deems necessary shall establish and maintain a program to
23 assist veterans in their transition out of military service. Such
24 program shall be known as "The New York state veterans assistance
25 program". Such program shall provide coordinated mental health and
26 substance abuse counseling, employment and job training, housing assist-
27 ance, and any other related information or services to veterans. Such
28 program shall be available throughout the state. Where practical, such
29 program shall offer all its services in a certain area in one facility.
30 3. The New York state veterans assistance program shall be available
31 to veterans, who have received an honorable or general discharge, docu-
32 mented by a copy of the veteran's certificate of release or discharge
33 from active duty also known as a DD-214 form or an honorable service
34 certificate/report of casualty from the department of defense. The
35 program shall be available from the date on which such veteran was
36 discharged from the active military service.
37 4. In establishing and carrying out the veterans assistance program
38 pursuant to this section, the state director shall:
39 (i) Provide information concerning federal, state, and local assist-
40 ance programs, programs of military and veterans' service organizations
41 or other organizations, that may be of assistance to veterans;
42 (ii) Provide, in consultation with the commissioner of labor, informa-
43 tion about employment opportunities, instruction in resume preparation,
44 job analysis, search, and interview techniques, analysis of the current
45 labor market, the cost of living in specific geographic areas of the
46 state including, to the extent practicable, the cost and availability of
47 housing, child care and education. The state director shall also work
48 with military and veterans' service organizations, local veterans
49 service organizations, and other appropriate organizations in promoting
50 and publicizing job fairs and current job opportunities for veterans;
51 (iii) Provide analysis or verification, to the extent practicable, of
52 job skills and experience acquired while on active duty for use in seek-
53 ing civilian employment and in obtaining job search skills;
54 (iv) Evaluate the educational assistance benefits to which the member
55 is entitled under the Federal Montgomery GI Bill, post 911 GI Bill, and
56 other educational assistance programs;
A. 10145 3
1 (v) Provide financial literacy and planning resources including infor-
2 mation on budgeting, saving, credit, loans, and taxes, including assist-
3 ance to such members in their efforts to obtain loans and grants from
4 the Small Business Administration and other federal, state, and local
5 agencies;
6 (vi) Provide resources on small business development, disability-re-
7 lated employment opportunities, and opportunities for the procurement of
8 state contracts including contracts set aside pursuant to article 17-B
9 of this chapter;
10 (vii) Information concerning the availability of mental health
11 services and the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety
12 disorders, depression, suicidal ideations, military sexual trauma, or
13 other mental health conditions associated with service in the armed
14 forces;
15 (viii) Provide assistance in preparing applications for various feder-
16 al, state, and local veterans' benefits including, but not limited to,
17 federal VA medical services; and
18 (ix) Promulgate rules and regulations to effectuate the provisions of
19 this section.
20 § 3. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 368-b to
21 read as follows:
22 § 368-b. New York state veterans village pilot program. 1. Beginning
23 June thirtieth, two thousand sixteen the state director shall establish
24 a New York state veterans village pilot program. Such program, subject
25 to the rules and regulations of the state director, shall identify
26 veterans that are homeless or may soon be homeless and provide housing
27 in a dormitory type housing until permanent housing can be provided to
28 such veteran. Such program shall also provide, in such dormitory type
29 housing, mental health and substance abuse counseling, employment and
30 job training programs, financial literacy, assistance provided pursuant
31 to section three hundred sixty-eight-a of this article, or any other
32 assistance the veteran may need. Such program shall coordinate any
33 assistance that such veteran receives.
34 2. The state director shall promulgate rules and regulations to effec-
35 tuate the provisions of this section.
36 3. By December thirty-first, two thousand seventeen and annually ther-
37 eafter, the state director shall submit a report to the governor, the
38 speaker of the assembly, and the temporary president of the senate which
39 shall include, but not be limited to, evaluation of the effectiveness of
40 the program and recommendations for improvements as necessary.
41 4. The state director, in consultation with the commissioner of homes
42 and community renewal, and the commissioner of the office of general
43 services, and any other agency the state director deems necessary, shall
44 conduct a statewide study to determine if there are existing facilities,
45 owned by or available to the state, that can be used to house veterans
46 in need of housing. Such report shall be delivered to the governor, the
47 speaker of the assembly, and the temporary president of the senate by
48 December thirty-first, two thousand fifteen. Such study shall include,
49 but not be limited to:
50 (a) The number of military personnel currently stationed in New York
51 state including their locations, and the number of military personnel
52 stating New York state as their home of record, including their current
53 geographic location;
54 (b) The estimated number of homeless veterans statewide;
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1 (c) Current temporary or transitional housing facilities or programs
2 operated by any private or non-profit company, or any federal, state, or
3 local government entity currently open to veterans in New York state;
4 (d) Existing properties owned by or available to the state that could
5 be used to create housing facilities for veterans in need;
6 (e) The estimated costs of opening, operating, and maintaining housing
7 for veterans in need throughout the state; and
8 (f) Recommendations or legislative proposals based upon the findings
9 of the study.
10 § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
11 it shall have become a law.