STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8419
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
October 9, 2015
___________
Introduced by M. of A. ORTIZ, GUNTHER, COLTON, WEPRIN, HOOPER, COOK --
read once and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
AN ACT to amend the executive law and the mental hygiene law, in
relation to enacting the "behavioral health services for veterans act"
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "behavioral
2 health services for veterans act".
3 § 2. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 368-a to
4 read as follows:
5 § 368-a. Behavioral health services for veterans advisory board. 1.
6 There is hereby established within the division, a behavioral health
7 services for veterans advisory board. Such board shall consist of nine
8 members, three of whom shall be appointed by the governor, two of whom
9 shall be appointed by the temporary president of the senate, two of whom
10 shall be appointed by the speaker of the assembly, one of whom shall be
11 appointed by the minority leader of the senate and one of whom shall be
12 appointed by the minority leader of the assembly. Such members shall
13 serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority. Vacancies on the
14 board shall be filled in the manner of the original appointment. Members
15 of the board shall receive no compensation for their services but shall
16 be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the perform-
17 ance of their duties.
18 2. The behavioral health services for veterans advisory board shall
19 study and analyze both the adequacy of existing and the need for new
20 behavioral health services for veterans. In providing such analysis, the
21 board shall work in cooperation with the division, the office of alco-
22 holism and substance abuse services and the department of mental
23 hygiene. The board shall report the findings of such study to the gover-
24 nor and the legislature along with recommendations it deems necessary
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04783-02-5
A. 8419 2
1 for expanded and improved behavioral health services on or before Octo-
2 ber first, two thousand sixteen.
3 § 3. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section 19.44
4 to read as follows:
5 § 19.44 Behavioral health services for veterans.
6 (a) The office, in cooperation with the department and the division of
7 veterans' affairs, shall establish within every county within the state,
8 access to behavioral health services for veterans. In establishing such
9 access, the office shall provide treatment on an inpatient, outpatient
10 and residential basis, that shall include, but not be limited to, phar-
11 macotherapy for alcohol dependence, opioid dependence and other chemical
12 dependence and substance abuse disorders.
13 (b) Staff providing behavioral health services to veterans shall
14 receive training in the specific needs of veterans with respect to chem-
15 ical dependencies and substance abuse disorders and shall be expanded
16 when needed to adequately provide such services.
17 (c) In addition to the services set forth in subdivision (a) of this
18 section, the office shall provide the following services:
19 1. coordination of services by an individual care coordinator for each
20 veteran who seeks services;
21 2. screening and assessment for post traumatic stress disorder, trau-
22 matic brain injury, depression and potential for suicide;
23 3. agency networking to provide veterans with consistent treatment
24 throughout the state and the veterans administration;
25 4. transportation to and from the services provided by this section;
26 5. evaluation of clinical practices specific to veterans; and
27 6. coordination of patient care services.
28 (d) The office is hereby authorized and directed to promulgate rules
29 and regulations necessary for the implementation of this section.
30 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that section two
31 of this act shall take effect April 1, 2016; and provided further that
32 effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule
33 or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effec-
34 tive date is authorized to be made and completed on or before such date.
