Public Act 095-0576
 		





SB0008 Enrolled
LRB095 07336 DRJ 27477 b






    AN ACT concerning veterans.

 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
represented in the General Assembly:

 
    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the 
Veterans' Home Nurses' Loan Repayment Act.
 
    Section 5. Nurse Loan Repayment Program.  There is created, 
beginning July 1, 2007, the Nurse Loan Repayment Program to be 
administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission in 
consultation with the Department of Veterans' Affairs. The 
program shall provide assistance, subject to appropriation, to 
eligible nurses. 
 
    Section 10. Award; maximum time period; maximum amount. 

Subject to appropriation, the Commission shall award a grant to 
each applicant who qualifies under this Act. An individual may 
receive a grant under this Act each year for up to 4 years. The 
amount of this grant may not exceed $5,000 per recipient per 
year. The Commission shall require the recipient of a grant 
awarded under the program to use the grant award for payment of 
the recipient's educational loan.
 
    Section 15. Application.  All applications for grant 
assistance under the program must be made to the Commission in 
a form and manner prescribed by the Commission. Applicants 
shall also submit any supporting documents deemed necessary by 
the Commission at the time of application.
 
    Section 20. Eligibility. 

    (a) The Commission shall, on an annual basis, receive and 
consider applications for grant assistance under the program. 
An applicant is eligible for a grant under the program if the 
Commission finds that the applicant:
        
        (1) is a United States citizen or permanent
    resident;

        
        (2) is a resident of Illinois;
        
        (3) is working as a registered professional nurse or 
    licensed practical nurse in a State veterans' home;

        
        (4) is a borrower with an outstanding balance due
    on an 
    educational loan; and

        
        (5) has not defaulted on an educational loan.
    
    (b) Preference may be given to previous recipients of a 
grant under the program, provided that the recipient continues 
to meet the eligibility requirements set forth in this Section.
    
    (c) For each year during which an individual receives a 
grant under this program, he or she must fulfill a separate 
12-month period as a registered professional nurse or licensed 
practical nurse in a State veterans' home.

 
    Section 900. The Department of Veterans Affairs Act is 
amended  by adding Sections 8 and 9 as follows:
 
    (20 ILCS 2805/8 new)

    Sec. 8. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Outpatient 
Counseling Program. Subject to appropriations for that 
purpose, the Department, in consultation with the Department of 
Human Services, shall contract with professional counseling 
specialists to provide a range of confidential counseling and 
direct treatment services to war-affected Southwest Asia 
combat veterans and their family members, and to provide 
additional treatment services to Viet Nam War veterans for 
post-traumatic stress disorder, particularly those Viet Nam 
veterans whose post-traumatic stress disorder has intensified 
or initially emerged due to the war in the Middle East.  Any 
such contracts entered into by the Department must be with 
individuals and entities pre-approved by the U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs and must be for the provision of services 
pre-approved by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In 
consultation with the Department of Human Services, the 
Department shall:
        (1) develop an educational program designed to inform 
    and train primary health care professionals, including 
    mental health professionals, about the effects of 
    war-related stress and trauma;
        (2) provide informational and counseling services for 
    the purpose of establishing and fostering peer-support 
    networks throughout the State for families of deployed 
    members of the reserves and the Illinois National Guard; 
    and
        (3) provide for veterans' families a referral network 
    of mental health providers who are skilled in treating 
    deployment stress, combat stress, and post-traumatic 
    stress.
    As used in this Section, "Southwest Asia combat veteran" 
means an Illinois resident who is, or who was honorably 
discharged as, a member of the Armed Forces of the United 
States, a member of the Illinois National Guard, or a member of 
any reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States 
and who served on active duty in connection with Operation 
Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, or Operation Iraqi 
Freedom.
 
    (20 ILCS 2805/9  new)
    Sec. 9. Veterans Conservation Corps. Subject to 
appropriations for that purpose, the Department shall create a 
list of honorably discharged veterans, particularly those with 
post-traumatic stress disorder and related conditions, who are 
interested in working on a volunteer basis on projects that 
restore Illinois' natural habitat.  The list is referred to as 
the Veterans Conservation Corps.  The Department shall promote 
the opportunity to volunteer for the Veterans Conservation 
Corps through its field offices and through cooperating 
veterans organizations.  Only veterans who grant their approval 
may be included on the list.  The Department shall consult with 
the Department of Natural Resources to determine the most 
effective way to market the Veterans Conservation Corps to 
State agencies and local governmental or not-for-profit 
sponsors of habitat restoration projects.
 

    Section 999. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
becoming law.