HB2540 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB103 27180 KTG 53550 b

103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB2540

Introduced 2/15/2023, by Rep. Joyce Mason

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act

Creates the Veterans Bill of Rights Act. Requires the Department of Veterans' Affairs to make specified efforts to: (1) increase loans to small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans or service-disabled veterans; (2) increase veterans' access to health care coverage and services; (3) take specified steps toward preventing veteran suicide; and (4) develop and implement a strategy to end veteran homelessness within 3 years. Directs the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to review all State licenses for which military service members may have relevant training or experience, produce a report recommending steps that can be taken to increase recognition of military training and experience toward licensing, and take those steps within one year of issuing the report. Contains provisions regarding veterans at public institutions of higher education receiving college credit, registering for courses, and being called to active duty. Requires the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to annually review apprentice, training, and other vocational programs focused on providing job training and placement to returning military service members and veterans. Contains other provisions.

A BILL FOR

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 Bill of Rights Act.

Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:

"Department" means the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

"EMS personnel" has the same meaning provided in Section 3.5 of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act.

"Public institution of higher education" has the same meaning provided in Section 10 of the Illinois Prepaid Tuition Act.

Section 10. Loans to veteran business concerns; monthly reports.

(a) The Department may target any loans granted by the Department toward small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans or service-disabled veterans, with a goal of 7% of annual loaned funds reaching such businesses.

(b) The Department shall produce monthly electronic reports of workforce need projections by industry, job type, geography, and credentials needed. The report shall include a comparison of workforce needs to existing and projected workforce and credential availability in Illinois, a list of top in-demand industries, job types, and credentials by geographic area, and a mapping of which in-demand job titles and credentials would leverage skills, experience, and credentials possessed by veterans. The Department shall forward the report monthly to appropriate military out-placement offices, education centers, nonprofit programs, and any State agencies working to connect veterans with jobs.

Section 15. Recognition of military training and experience.

(a) The Department shall take all necessary steps to annually increase the number of veterans taking advantage of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Military Skills Test Waiver Program. These steps shall include, but are not limited to, ensuring information on the Program is accessible on the Department's website, coordinating with military placement and training programs, including, but not limited to, the Credentialing Opportunities On-Line program, and disseminating information on the Program to veterans with relevant experience who are newly located or locating in Illinois.

(b) The Department of Public Health shall immediately review all licensing practices and take all necessary and appropriate steps to increase recognition of military training and experience toward licensing of EMS personnel. Within one year after the effective date of this Act, the Department of Public Health shall report to the General Assembly any additional steps that may require legislation and request that the General Assembly pass that legislation.

(c) The Department of Financial and Professional Regulation shall review all State licenses for which military service members may have relevant training or experience and, within one year after the effective date of this Act, produce a report recommending steps that can be taken to increase recognition of military training and experience toward licensing. As soon as practicable, but by no later than one year after issuance of the report, the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation shall then take any steps identified in the report that can be taken without further legislation and shall report to the General Assembly annually to request it enact any necessary legislation.

Section 20. College credit; course registration; students called to active duty.

(a) A veteran who enrolls as a student in good standing at a public institution of higher education shall upon application be granted academic credits without limitation toward his or her degree for completion of courses that were part of the veteran's military training or service if the completed courses meet the standards of the American Council on Education, or its equivalent, for the awarding of academic credits. No fee, tuition, or other charge shall be assessed against a veteran who qualifies for academic credit under this subsection.

(b) A public institution of higher education that offers an early course registration period for any segment of the student population shall have a process in place to offer early course registration to students who are veterans or National Guard members. A veteran with no previous college experience shall be permitted to file applications up to the end of registration and begin classes pending completion of his or her application and provision of supporting documents.

(c) A student who is called to active duty in the armed forces of the United States after having attended a public institution of higher education regularly for 13 weeks or more, or having completed 85% of the term's work through acceleration, shall be given full credit for each course in which he or she has a grade of C or better. A student called to active duty who does not meet attendance requirements sufficient to earn a grade shall be entitled to a 100% refund of tuition and fees. Upon a veteran's return from active duty, he or she may register after normal registration periods end without late fees or other penalties.

(d) A public institution of higher education shall adopt any and all procedures that are necessary to fully implement this Section.

Section 25. Training programs. The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall annually review apprentice, training, and other vocational programs focused on providing job training and placement to returning military service members and veterans. The annual review shall evaluate the costs and results and recommend programs for expansion using State funding, including, but not limited to, an estimate of future returns to the State of improved outcomes from the expansion of programs. The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall provide an annual report to the General Assembly and Governor on January 1 of each year for 5 years after the effective date of this Act, to be used by the General Assembly to inform annual budget decisions.

Section 30. Access to health care.

(a) The Department shall develop and operate veteran health navigator services to increase access to health care coverage and services. The Department shall identify, train, and deploy veteran health navigators who have direct knowledge of the veteran communities they serve. Leveraging existing resources and structures where veterans and their families are likely to be found, the veteran health navigators shall:

(1) help identify all federal and other health benefits, coverage, and services available to veterans and their families; and

(2) coordinate with relevant departments, health care providers, and health insurance programs to help veterans and their beneficiaries apply for coverage under such programs, including helping veterans overcome barriers within the health care system to ensure enrollment in health plans and effective delivery and coordination of health services.

(b) Using the veteran health services and navigators described in subsection (a) as a source of information about the unique needs, coverage, and treatment gaps faced by veterans and their families, the Department shall examine all existing programs designed to increase access to affordable, quality health care and evaluate whether the needs of veterans and their families are met by those programs or whether further coordination with the veteran health navigators or other steps would better meet the needs of veterans and their families. The Department shall then produce a report of its findings, recommendations, and any additional legislative or budget action it recommends, deliver that report to the General Assembly and the Governor, and release it to the news media.

(c) The Department shall prepare a report showing the impacts that Medicaid expansion has had to date for the community of veterans and their families in Illinois, including any recommendations for better including or serving veterans and their families in that expansion. The Department shall deliver that report to the General Assembly and the Governor and release it to the news media.

Section 35. Suicide prevention.

(a) The Department shall ensure that access to mental health coverage, services, and treatment is included as a full focus stream of the veteran health navigator services described in subsection (a) of Section 30, and that veteran health navigators help identify all federal and other mental health benefits, coverage, and services available to veterans and their families, including, but not limited to, those relating to post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and suicide prevention.

(b) In coordination with local, State, and federal governmental agencies, and in consultation with nonprofits, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, localities, municipalities that have effective prevention and treatment systems for mental health, and service providers such as Veterans Affairs medical centers, the Department shall develop and implement a strategy to reduce barriers to access to mental health services and treatment for veterans and their families. The Department shall develop the strategy using methods including, but not limited to, the following:

(1) Identifying structural and logistical barriers to accessing treatment, including, but not limited to, perceived stigma, long travel distances to receive care, and any other barriers. The Department shall create an annual report on the barriers, which shall be delivered to the General Assembly and the Governor and made available on the Department's website.

(2) Resolving all barriers identified in paragraph (1) that can be resolved without legislative or budgetary action, including, but not limited to, the following:

(A) increased coordination between State agencies, nonprofit providers, and the federal government;

(B) application for and use of private and federal grants; and

(C) any other actions.

(3) Reporting annually to the General Assembly and the Governor and making available on the Department's website any additional legislative or budgetary steps that would resolve the barriers identified in paragraph (1) that have not been resolved by the steps taken in paragraph (2).

(c) In coordination with local, State, and federal governmental agencies, and in consultation with nonprofits, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, localities, cities that have effective prevention and treatment systems for mental health, and service providers such as Veterans Affairs medical centers, the Department shall enhance and strengthen suicide prevention programs in keeping with proven best practices and research, using methods including, but not limited to, the following:

(1) Identifying and applying for federal and private grants focused on veteran suicide prevention.

(2) Coordinating local, State, federal, and nonprofit programs that include community-based approaches for at-risk veterans and veterans at large.

(3) Providing technical assistance to communities to develop strategic plans to reduce veteran suicide, including, but not limited to, coordination and participation by local leaders, faith communities, schools, workplaces, and other stakeholders.

(4) Evaluating community strategic plans within Illinois and disseminating methods and best practices to optimize the impact of efforts by all partners and stakeholders.

(d) The Department shall create a centralized provider database, identifying, by region, mental health providers with the expertise and ability to assist veterans and their families. The database shall highlight providers with training or experience in the prevention and treatment of veteran suicide.

(e) Using existing resources, and incorporating best practices and research from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and State and nonprofit service providers in Illinois, the Department shall develop a continuing education course for mental health providers in Illinois to obtain expertise in veteran suicide assessment, prevention, treatment, and risk management and shall make the program available for free to providers in regions of the State lacking sufficiently trained providers, as determined by the database created under subsection (d).

(f) Using existing or appropriated resources, the Department shall identify evidence-based best practices to increase awareness of any veteran suicide prevention hotline and other crisis resources in Illinois or nationally with proven effectiveness in reducing veteran suicide.

Section 40. Strategy for ending veteran homelessness.

(a) In coordination with local, State, and federal governmental agencies and nonprofits, and in consultation with states and municipalities that have achieved an end to veteran homelessness, the Department shall develop and implement a strategy to end veteran homelessness within 3 years. The strategy shall include, but is not limited to, the following:

(1) Coordinated community outreach and a common assessment tool.

(2) A community-wide, comprehensive list of veterans by name who are experiencing homelessness, prioritized based on vulnerability.

(3) Data-sharing among all relevant providers, State agencies, and Veterans Affairs medical centers.

(4) Increased coordination and streamlined processes for appropriate housing placements.

(5) Connecting veterans experiencing homelessness to health, mental health, employment, and training resources through the services described in this Act.

(6) A commitment to housing first principles, as propounded by the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

(7) Identification of and application for funding, as needed, from private and foundation sources and other partners.

(b) In this Section, "end veteran homelessness" means an outcome meeting the criteria identified and most recently released by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness.