Amd §§4 & 15, Veterans' Services L (as proposed in S.274-B & A.8485)
Requires the department of veterans' services to consult with the office of fire prevention and control and the department of health to identify the most effective ways to provide useful information to veterans about available volunteer opportunities with local volunteer fire departments and emergency services providers.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9490
IN ASSEMBLY
January 7, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. STERN -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Veterans' Affairs
AN ACT to amend the veterans' services law, in relation to volunteer
opportunities for veterans
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 30-a of section 4 of the veterans' services
2 law, as added by a chapter of the laws of 2025 amending the veterans'
3 services law relating to establishing voluntary opportunities for veter-
4 ans, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 274-B and A. 8485, is
5 amended to read as follows:
6 30-a. [(a)] To provide information on the department's website on
7 volunteer opportunities available to veterans as defined in section one
8 of this article, including but not limited to [working at the depart-
9 ment, or], (a) a volunteer fire department, after consultation with the
10 office of fire prevention and control to identify the most effective
11 ways to provide useful information about available volunteer opportu-
12 nities, or (b) an emergency services provider, after consultation with
13 the department of health to identify the most effective ways to provide
14 useful information about available volunteer opportunities.
15 [(b) The department shall post on their website under the employment
16 portal any relevant application forms that a qualified veteran can use
17 to apply for volunteer opportunities or to request additional informa-
18 tion.]
19 § 2. Subdivision 1 of section 15 of the veterans' services law, as
20 amended by a chapter of the laws of 2025 amending the veterans' services
21 law relating to establishing voluntary opportunities for veterans, as
22 proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 274-B and A. 8485, is amended
23 to read as follows:
24 1. A local veterans' service agency shall have power under the direc-
25 tion of the state veterans' service agency, and it shall be its duty to
26 inform military and naval authorities of the United States and assist
27 members of the uniformed services and veterans, who are residents of
28 this state, and their families, in relation to (1) matters pertaining to
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13169-02-6
A. 9490 2
1 educational training and retraining services and facilities, (2) health,
2 medical and rehabilitation services and facilities, (3) provisions of
3 federal, state and local laws and regulations affording special rights
4 and privileges to members of the uniformed services and veterans and
5 their families, (4) employment and re-employment services, (5) the proc-
6 ess of submitting an application for a discharge upgrade to the
7 discharge upgrade advisory board, (6) volunteer opportunities at [the
8 department and] local volunteer fire departments or emergency services
9 providers to the extent such information is available, and (7) other
10 matters of similar, related or appropriate nature. The local veterans'
11 service agency may also assist families of members of the reserve compo-
12 nents of the uniformed services and the organized militia ordered into
13 active duty to ensure that they are made aware of and are receiving all
14 appropriate support available to them and are placed in contact with the
15 agencies responsible for such support, including, but not limited to,
16 the division of military and naval affairs and other state agencies
17 responsible for providing such support. The local veterans' service
18 agency also shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the
19 state commissioner.
20 § 3. This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same
21 manner as a chapter of the laws of 2025 amending the veterans' services
22 law relating to establishing voluntary opportunities for veterans, as
23 proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 274-B and A. 8485, takes
24 effect.
