Full Text of HB2179 95th General Assembly
HB2179eng 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| AN ACT concerning veterans.
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| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| represented in the General Assembly:
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| Section 5. The Department of Veterans Affairs Act is | 5 |
| amended by changing Section 2 as follows:
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| (20 ILCS 2805/2) (from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 67)
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| Sec. 2. Powers and duties. | 8 |
| (a) The Department shall have the following
powers and | 9 |
| duties:
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| To perform such acts at the request of any veteran, or his | 11 |
| or her spouse,
surviving spouse or dependents as shall be | 12 |
| reasonably necessary
or reasonably incident to obtaining or | 13 |
| endeavoring to obtain for the requester
any advantage, benefit | 14 |
| or emolument accruing or due to such person under
any law of | 15 |
| the United States, the State of Illinois or any other state or
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| governmental agency by reason of the service of such veteran, | 17 |
| and in pursuance
thereof shall:
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| (1) Contact veterans, their survivors and dependents | 19 |
| and advise them of
the benefits of state and federal laws | 20 |
| and assist them in obtaining such
benefits;
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| (2) Establish field offices and direct the activities | 22 |
| of the personnel
assigned to such offices;
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| (3) Create a volunteer field force of accredited |
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| representatives,
representing educational institutions, | 2 |
| labor organizations, veterans
organizations, employers, | 3 |
| churches, and farm organizations;
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| (4) Conduct informational and training services;
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| (5) Conduct educational programs through newspapers, | 6 |
| periodicals and radio
for the specific purpose of | 7 |
| disseminating information affecting veterans
and their | 8 |
| dependents;
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| (6) Coordinate the services and activities of all state | 10 |
| departments having
services and resources affecting | 11 |
| veterans and their dependents;
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| (7) Encourage and assist in the coordination of | 13 |
| agencies within counties
giving service to veterans and | 14 |
| their dependents;
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| (8) Cooperate with veterans organizations and other | 16 |
| governmental agencies;
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| (9) Make, alter, amend and promulgate reasonable rules | 18 |
| and procedures for
the administration of this Act;
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| (10) Make and publish annual reports to the Governor | 20 |
| regarding the
administration and general operation of the | 21 |
| Department;
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| (11) Encourage the State to implement more programs to | 23 |
| address the wide
range of issues faced by Persian Gulf War | 24 |
| Veterans, especially those who took
part in combat, by | 25 |
| creating an official commission to further study Persian
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| Gulf War Diseases.
The commission shall consist of 9 |
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| members appointed as follows: the Speaker
and Minority | 2 |
| Leader of the House of Representatives and the President | 3 |
| and
Minority Leader of the Senate shall each appoint one | 4 |
| member from the General
Assembly, the
Governor shall | 5 |
| appoint 4 members to represent veterans' organizations, | 6 |
| and the
Department shall appoint one member. The commission | 7 |
| members shall serve
without compensation; and | 8 |
| (12) Conduct an annual review of the benefits received
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| by Illinois veterans that compares benefits received by | 10 |
| Illinois
veterans with the benefits received by veterans in | 11 |
| all other
states and U.S. territories. The required annual | 12 |
| review shall include,
but not be limited to, (1) the | 13 |
| average benefit paid to individual
veterans from Illinois, | 14 |
| in direct comparison to the average benefit
paid to | 15 |
| individual veterans of each of the other states and U.S.
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| territories; (2) the number of veterans receiving benefits | 17 |
| in Illinois
for the first time during the year compared to | 18 |
| the number of claims
filed by Illinois veterans during the | 19 |
| year; (3) the aggregate number
of Illinois veterans | 20 |
| receiving benefits compared to the number
of veterans from | 21 |
| each of the other states and U.S. territories
receiving | 22 |
| benefits; and (4) a categorical analysis of the types
of | 23 |
| injuries and disabilities for which benefits are being paid
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| in Illinois and each of the other states and U.S. | 25 |
| territories.
The benefits review shall be reported to the | 26 |
| Governor, the
General Assembly, and the Illinois |
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| Congressional delegation upon
the completion of the report | 2 |
| each year.
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| (b) The Department shall create and administer a suicide | 4 |
| prevention program for veterans of the armed forces, including | 5 |
| redeployed veterans of the Illinois National Guard. The program | 6 |
| shall become operational within 100 days after the effective | 7 |
| date of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly. The | 8 |
| program's primary goal shall be to address and reduce the | 9 |
| incidence of suicide and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) | 10 |
| among veterans of the military and the National Guard | 11 |
| (hereinafter, "veterans"). | 12 |
| The program shall provide
the following: | 13 |
| (1) Public education and awareness programs directed | 14 |
| at veterans, the families of veterans, health care | 15 |
| professionals, mental health professionals, and the | 16 |
| public, focusing on recognizing the signs, symptoms, and | 17 |
| behavioral patterns of those at risk of committing suicide | 18 |
| and those suffering from PTSD. | 19 |
| (2) Psychiatric, psychological, or other appropriate | 20 |
| mental health care services to veterans at risk of suicide. | 21 |
| (3) Referral services to appropriate mental health | 22 |
| care services for veterans afflicted by PTSD. | 23 |
| (4) Any other services the Director of the Department | 24 |
| deems appropriate for addressing and reducing the | 25 |
| incidence of suicide and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder | 26 |
| among veterans. |
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| The Director of the Department shall submit an annual | 2 |
| report to the members of the General Assembly no later than | 3 |
| June 15 of each year, outlining the program's activities from | 4 |
| the preceding year. | 5 |
| The Department of Military Affairs shall disseminate | 6 |
| information regarding the suicide prevention program | 7 |
| established pursuant to this subsection to all redeployed | 8 |
| members of the Illinois National Guard within 72 hours after | 9 |
| their redeployment.
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| (c) The Department may accept and hold on behalf of the | 11 |
| State, if for the
public interest, a grant, gift, devise or | 12 |
| bequest of money or property to
the Department made for the | 13 |
| general benefit of Illinois veterans,
including the conduct of | 14 |
| informational and training services by the Department
and other | 15 |
| authorized purposes of the Department. The Department shall | 16 |
| cause
each grant, gift, devise or bequest to be kept as a | 17 |
| distinct fund and shall
invest such funds in the manner | 18 |
| provided by the Public Funds Investment Act, as
now or | 19 |
| hereafter amended, and shall make such reports as may
be | 20 |
| required by the Comptroller concerning what funds are so held | 21 |
| and
the manner in which such funds are invested.
The Department | 22 |
| may make grants from these funds for the general benefit of
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| Illinois veterans. Grants from these funds, except for the | 24 |
| funds established
under Sections 2.01a and 2.03, shall be | 25 |
| subject to appropriation.
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| (d) The Department has the power to make grants, from funds |
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| appropriated from
the
Korean War Veterans National Museum and | 2 |
| Library Fund, to private organizations
for the benefit of the | 3 |
| Korean War Veterans National Museum and Library.
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| (e) The Department has the power to make grants, from funds | 5 |
| appropriated from the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund, for | 6 |
| benefits authorized under the Survivors Compensation Act.
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| (Source: P.A. 93-839, eff. 7-30-04; 94-167, eff. 1-1-06.)
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