Full Text of SB3671 97th General Assembly
SB3671enr 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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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 , to the extent funds are available : | 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 | | As used in this Section, "Southwest Asia combat veteran" | 22 | | means an Illinois resident who is, or who was honorably | 23 | | discharged as, a member of the Armed Forces of the United | 24 | | States, a member of the Illinois National Guard, or a member of | 25 | | any reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States | 26 | | and who served on active duty in connection with Operation |
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| 1 | | Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, or Operation Iraqi | 2 | | Freedom.
| 3 | | (Source: P.A. 95-576, eff. 8-31-07.)
| 4 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | 5 | | becoming law.
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