Full Text of SB3671 97th General Assembly
SB3671 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012 SB3671 Introduced 2/10/2012, by Sen. Linda Holmes SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: |
| 20 ILCS 2805/2 | from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 67 | 20 ILCS 2805/8 | |
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Amends the Department of Veterans Affairs Act. Deletes the requirement that the Department of Veterans Affairs conduct an annual review that compares benefits received by Illinois
veterans with the benefits received by veterans in all other
states and U.S. territories. Provides that if the Department determines that the appropriations for the purposes of the provision concerning the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Outpatient Counseling Program are not sufficient to support all of the requirements of that provision, then the Department shall have the discretion to provide only those services set forth in that provision that the Department determines the appropriation can support. Effective immediately.
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| | | FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY | |
| | A BILL FOR |
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| 1 | | AN ACT concerning State government.
| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
| 4 | | Section 5. The Department of Veterans Affairs Act is | 5 | | amended by changing Sections 2 and 8 as follows:
| 6 | | (20 ILCS 2805/2) (from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 67)
| 7 | | Sec. 2. Powers and duties. The Department shall have the | 8 | | following
powers and duties:
| 9 | | To perform such acts at the request of any veteran, or his | 10 | | or her spouse,
surviving spouse or dependents as shall be | 11 | | reasonably necessary
or reasonably incident to obtaining or | 12 | | endeavoring to obtain for the requester
any advantage, benefit | 13 | | or emolument accruing or due to such person under
any law of | 14 | | the United States, the State of Illinois or any other state or
| 15 | | governmental agency by reason of the service of such veteran, | 16 | | and in pursuance
thereof shall:
| 17 | | (1) Contact veterans, their survivors and dependents | 18 | | and advise them of
the benefits of state and federal laws | 19 | | and assist them in obtaining such
benefits;
| 20 | | (2) Establish field offices and direct the activities | 21 | | of the personnel
assigned to such offices;
| 22 | | (3) Create a volunteer field force of accredited | 23 | | representatives,
representing educational institutions, |
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| 1 | | labor organizations, veterans
organizations, employers, | 2 | | churches, and farm organizations;
| 3 | | (4) Conduct informational and training services;
| 4 | | (5) Conduct educational programs through newspapers, | 5 | | periodicals and radio
for the specific purpose of | 6 | | disseminating information affecting veterans
and their | 7 | | dependents;
| 8 | | (6) Coordinate the services and activities of all state | 9 | | departments having
services and resources affecting | 10 | | veterans and their dependents;
| 11 | | (7) Encourage and assist in the coordination of | 12 | | agencies within counties
giving service to veterans and | 13 | | their dependents;
| 14 | | (8) Cooperate with veterans organizations and other | 15 | | governmental agencies;
| 16 | | (9) Make, alter, amend and promulgate reasonable rules | 17 | | and procedures for
the administration of this Act;
| 18 | | (10) Make and publish annual reports to the Governor | 19 | | regarding the
administration and general operation of the | 20 | | Department;
| 21 | | (11) (Blank); and | 22 | | (12) (Blank). Conduct an annual review of the benefits | 23 | | received
by Illinois veterans that compares benefits | 24 | | received by Illinois
veterans with the benefits received by | 25 | | veterans in all other
states and U.S. territories. The | 26 | | required annual review shall include,
but not be limited |
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| 1 | | to, (1) the average benefit paid to individual
veterans | 2 | | from Illinois, in direct comparison to the average benefit
| 3 | | paid to individual veterans of each of the other states and | 4 | | U.S.
territories; (2) the number of veterans receiving | 5 | | benefits in Illinois
for the first time during the year | 6 | | compared to the number of claims
filed by Illinois veterans | 7 | | during the year; (3) the aggregate number
of Illinois | 8 | | veterans receiving benefits compared to the number
of | 9 | | veterans from each of the other states and U.S. territories
| 10 | | receiving benefits; and (4) a categorical analysis of the | 11 | | types
of injuries and disabilities for which benefits are | 12 | | being paid
in Illinois and each of the other states and | 13 | | U.S. territories.
The benefits review shall be reported to | 14 | | the Governor, the
General Assembly, and the Illinois | 15 | | Congressional delegation upon
the completion of the report | 16 | | each year.
| 17 | | The Department may accept and hold on behalf of the State, | 18 | | if for the
public interest, a grant, gift, devise or bequest of | 19 | | money or property to
the Department made for the general | 20 | | benefit of Illinois veterans,
including the conduct of | 21 | | informational and training services by the Department
and other | 22 | | authorized purposes of the Department. The Department shall | 23 | | cause
each grant, gift, devise or bequest to be kept as a | 24 | | distinct fund and shall
invest such funds in the manner | 25 | | provided by the Public Funds Investment Act, as
now or | 26 | | hereafter amended, and shall make such reports as may
be |
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| 1 | | required by the Comptroller concerning what funds are so held | 2 | | and
the manner in which such funds are invested.
The Department | 3 | | may make grants from these funds for the general benefit of
| 4 | | Illinois veterans. Grants from these funds, except for the | 5 | | funds established
under Sections 2.01a and 2.03, shall be | 6 | | subject to appropriation.
| 7 | | The Department has the power to make grants, from funds | 8 | | appropriated from
the
Korean War Veterans National Museum and | 9 | | Library Fund, to private organizations
for the benefit of the | 10 | | Korean War Veterans National Museum and Library.
| 11 | | The Department has the power to make grants, from funds | 12 | | appropriated from the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund, for | 13 | | benefits authorized under the Survivors Compensation Act.
| 14 | | (Source: P.A. 97-297, eff. 1-1-12.)
| 15 | | (20 ILCS 2805/8)
| 16 | | Sec. 8. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Outpatient | 17 | | Counseling Program. Subject to appropriations for that | 18 | | purpose, the Department, in consultation with the Department of | 19 | | Human Services, shall contract with professional counseling | 20 | | specialists to provide a range of confidential counseling and | 21 | | direct treatment services to war-affected Southwest Asia | 22 | | combat veterans and their family members, and to provide | 23 | | additional treatment services to Viet Nam War veterans for | 24 | | post-traumatic stress disorder, particularly those Viet Nam | 25 | | veterans whose post-traumatic stress disorder has intensified |
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| 1 | | or initially emerged due to the war in the Middle East. Any | 2 | | such contracts entered into by the Department must be with | 3 | | individuals and entities pre-approved by the U.S. Department of | 4 | | Veterans Affairs and must be for the provision of services | 5 | | pre-approved by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In | 6 | | consultation with the Department of Human Services, the | 7 | | Department shall: | 8 | | (1) develop an educational program designed to inform | 9 | | and train primary health care professionals, including | 10 | | mental health professionals, about the effects of | 11 | | war-related stress and trauma; | 12 | | (2) provide informational and counseling services for | 13 | | the purpose of establishing and fostering peer-support | 14 | | networks throughout the State for families of deployed | 15 | | members of the reserves and the Illinois National Guard; | 16 | | and | 17 | | (3) provide for veterans' families a referral network | 18 | | of mental health providers who are skilled in treating | 19 | | deployment stress, combat stress, and post-traumatic | 20 | | stress. | 21 | | If the Department determines that the appropriations for | 22 | | the purposes of this Section are not sufficient to support all | 23 | | of the requirements in this Section, then the Department shall | 24 | | have the discretion to provide only those services set forth in | 25 | | this Section that the Department determines the appropriation | 26 | | can support. |
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| 1 | | As used in this Section, "Southwest Asia combat veteran" | 2 | | means an Illinois resident who is, or who was honorably | 3 | | discharged as, a member of the Armed Forces of the United | 4 | | States, a member of the Illinois National Guard, or a member of | 5 | | any reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States | 6 | | and who served on active duty in connection with Operation | 7 | | Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, or Operation Iraqi | 8 | | Freedom.
| 9 | | (Source: P.A. 95-576, eff. 8-31-07.)
| 10 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | 11 | | becoming law.
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