Public Act 096-0076
 
SB1461 Enrolled LRB096 08354 DRJ 18464 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 War on
Terrorism Compensation Act.
 
    Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
    "Armed forces of the United States" means the United States
Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard, the United
States Reserve Forces, or the Illinois National Guard. Service
in the merchant marine is not service in the armed forces for
purposes of this Act.
    "Department" means the Illinois Department of Veterans'
Affairs.
 
    Section 10. Compensation.
    (a) Subject to appropriation, every person who has served
on active duty with the armed forces of the United States on or
after September 11, 2001 and prior to such time as Congress
declares such persons ineligible for the Global War on
Terrorism Expeditionary Medal or the Global War on Terrorism
Service Medal is entitled to receive compensation of $100 for
such service if (i) he or she had been a resident of the State
of Illinois for at least 12 months immediately preceding the
time he or she entered such service, (ii) he or she is still in
active service, is honorably separated or discharged from such
service, has been furloughed to a reserve, or has been retired,
and (iii) he or she has received the Global War on Terrorism
Expeditionary Medal or the Global War on Terrorism Service
Medal.
    (b) No payment may be made under this Section to any person
who, though in such service: did civilian work at civilian pay;
did not serve at least 30 consecutive or 60 nonconsecutive days
outside the United States or its territories; or has received
from another state a bonus or compensation of like nature as
provided by this Act.
 
    Section 15. Assignment prohibited. No right or claim to
compensation under this Act may be assigned.
 
    Section 20. Legal disability. If a person to whom
compensation is payable under this Act is under a legal
disability, the compensation shall be paid to the person
legally vested with the care of the legally disabled person
under the laws of his or her state of residence. If no such
person has been so designated for the legally disabled person,
payment shall be made to the chief officer of any hospital or
institution under the supervision or control of any state or of
the United States Department of Veterans Affairs in which the
legally disabled person is placed, if that officer is
authorized to accept moneys for the benefit of the legally
disabled person. Any payments so made shall be held or used
solely for the benefit of the legally disabled person.
    As used in this Section, a person under a legal disability
means a person found to be so by a court of competent
jurisdiction of any state or the District of Columbia or by any
adjudication officer of the United States Department of
Veterans Affairs.
 
    Section 25. Application to Department of Veterans'
Affairs. An application for compensation under this Act must be
made to the Department.
 
    Section 30. Rules. The Department shall adopt rules for
making payments under this Act, for ascertaining and selecting
proper beneficiaries and determining the amount to which those
beneficiaries are entitled, and for procedures necessary for
implementing this Act.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.