Expands eligibility for admission to New York state veterans' homes to certain veterans who have an immediate family member who shall have been a resident of this state for six months prior to the date of application for admission; defines an immediate family member to include a spouse, or a birth or adoptive parent, child, sibling, stepparent, stepchild, stepsibling, grandparent and grandchild; requires, where applicable, the immediate family member of a veteran applicant to file an affidavit of New York state residence; authorizes veterans with an immediate family member who has been a New York state resident for six months to be entitle to admission to the Long Island state veterans home at Stony Brook university.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8055--A
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 15, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. HARCKHAM -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Securi-
ty and Military Affairs -- 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 committee
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to eligibility for
admission to New York state veterans' homes
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Paragraph (h) of subdivision 1 of section 2632 of the
2 public health law, as amended by section 3 of part E of chapter 57 of
3 the laws of 2024, is amended to read as follows:
4 (h) in the Persian Gulf conflict from the second day of August, nine-
5 teen hundred ninety to the end of such conflict including military
6 service in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Opera-
7 tion New Dawn or Operation Inherent Resolve and was the recipient of the
8 global war on terrorism expeditionary medal or the Iraq campaign medal
9 or the Afghanistan campaign medal; and who was a resident of the state
10 of New York at the time of entry upon such active duty or who shall have
11 been a resident of this state for six months next preceding the applica-
12 tion for admission or who has an immediate family member who shall have
13 been a resident of this state for six months prior to the date of appli-
14 cation for admission, provided that for purposes of this section an
15 immediate family member shall include a spouse, or a birth or adoptive
16 parent, child, sibling, stepparent, stepchild, stepsibling, grandparent
17 and grandchild, shall be entitled to admission to said home after the
18 approval of the application by the board of visitors, subject to the
19 provisions of this article and to the conditions, limitations and penal-
20 ties prescribed by the regulations of the department. Any such veteran
21 or dependent, who otherwise fulfills the requirements set forth in this
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11660-03-6
S. 8055--A 2
1 section, may be admitted directly to the skilled nursing facility or the
2 health related facility provided such veteran or dependent is certified
3 by a physician designated or approved by the department to require the
4 type of care provided by such facilities.
5 § 2. Subdivision 6 of section 2632 of the public health law, as
6 amended by chapter 455 of the laws of 2002, is amended to read as
7 follows:
8 6. The board of visitors shall require an applicant for admission to
9 such home, or the immediate family member of a veteran applicant for
10 admission, if applicable, to file an affidavit of New York state resi-
11 dence and the affidavits of at least two householders in and residents
12 of the county in New York state of which the applicant claims at the
13 time of such application to be a resident or to have an immediate family
14 member who is a resident; and such affidavits shall, on presentation, be
15 accepted and received as sufficient proof, unless contradicted, of the
16 residence of such applicant or immediate family member of such applicant
17 in any actions or proceedings against such county in which such resi-
18 dence of such applicant is material.
19 § 3. A veteran as described in subdivision 1 of section 2632 of the
20 public health law, who has a spouse, or a birth or adoptive parent,
21 child, sibling, stepparent, stepchild, stepsibling, grandparent or
22 grandchild, who shall have been a resident of this state for six months
23 prior to the date of application for admission, shall be entitled to
24 admission to the Long Island state veterans home at Stony Brook univer-
25 sity, after the approval of the application by the board of visitors or
26 similar authority of such home, subject to the provisions of applicable
27 law and to the conditions, limitations and penalties prescribed by the
28 regulations of the state university of New York.
29 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
