Authorizes the Department of Veterans' Services to consult and collaborate with relevant offices in the federal department of veterans affairs, the department of health, the state office for the aging and other HCBS experts to develop educational materials for veterans and their families about the accessibility to home and community-based services.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7786--B
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 6, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. ADDABBO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Securi-
ty and Military Affairs -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee -- recommitted
to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs
in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill
amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit-
tee
AN ACT to amend the veterans' services law, in relation to availability
of information on home care services
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 4 of the veterans' services law is amended by
2 adding a new subdivision 40 to read as follows:
3 40. To collaborate with relevant offices of the federal department of
4 veterans affairs, the state department of health and the state office
5 for the aging to disseminate educational resources to veterans and their
6 families regarding the availability of and accessibility to home and
7 community-based services including but not limited to the federal Veter-
8 an-Directed Home and Community Based Services program(VD-HCBS). Such
9 resources may include development of dedicated websites and weblinks to
10 such resources. Such materials may also be made available in printed
11 form. Any such information shall be reviewed and updated annually. To
12 effectuate the provisions of this subdivision, the department may also
13 consult with or seek input from various home care stakeholders, includ-
14 ing home care providers and professional associations, with expertise or
15 experience with serving veterans and their families.
16 § 2. Subdivision 1 of section 15 of the veterans' services law, as
17 separately amended by chapters 490 and 666 of the laws of 2025, is
18 amended to read as follows:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11096-07-6
S. 7786--B 2
1 1. A local veterans' service agency shall have power under the direc-
2 tion of the state veterans' service agency, and it shall be its duty to
3 inform military and naval authorities of the United States and assist
4 members of the uniformed services and veterans, who are residents of
5 this state, and their families, in relation to (1) matters pertaining to
6 educational training and retraining services and facilities, (2) health,
7 medical and rehabilitation services and facilities, (3) provisions of
8 federal, state and local laws and regulations affording special rights
9 and privileges to members of the uniformed services and veterans and
10 their families, (4) employment and re-employment services, including the
11 employment of veterans with disabilities program under section fifty-
12 five-c of the civil service law, (5) the process of submitting an appli-
13 cation for a discharge upgrade to the discharge upgrade advisory board,
14 (6) volunteer opportunities at the department and volunteer fire depart-
15 ments or emergency services providers, and (7) other matters of similar,
16 related or appropriate nature. The local veterans' service agency may
17 also assist families of members of the reserve components of the
18 uniformed services and the organized militia ordered into active duty to
19 ensure that they are made aware of and are receiving all appropriate
20 support available to them and are placed in contact with the agencies
21 responsible for such support, including, but not limited to, the divi-
22 sion of military and naval affairs and other state agencies responsible
23 for providing such support. The local veterans' service agency also
24 shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the state commis-
25 sioner. The local veterans' service agency may also post on its website
26 and make available at its office location educational materials relating
27 to the availability of and accessibility to home and community-based
28 services that have been developed by the department pursuant to subdivi-
29 sion forty of section four of this article.
30 § 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
31 have become a law; provided, however, that if chapter 666 of the laws of
32 2025 shall not have taken effect on or before such date then section two
33 of this act shall take effect on the same date and in the same manner as
34 such chapter of the laws of 2025, takes effect.
