Full Text of SB0008 95th General Assembly
SB0008enr 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| AN ACT concerning veterans.
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| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| represented in the General Assembly:
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| Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | 5 |
| Veterans' Home Nurses' Loan Repayment Act. | 6 |
| Section 5. Nurse Loan Repayment Program. There is created, | 7 |
| beginning July 1, 2007, the Nurse Loan Repayment Program to be | 8 |
| administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission in | 9 |
| consultation with the Department of Veterans' Affairs. The | 10 |
| program shall provide assistance, subject to appropriation, to | 11 |
| eligible nurses. | 12 |
| Section 10. Award; maximum time period; maximum amount.
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| Subject to appropriation, the Commission shall award a grant to | 14 |
| each applicant who qualifies under this Act. An individual may | 15 |
| receive a grant under this Act each year for up to 4 years. The | 16 |
| amount of this grant may not exceed $5,000 per recipient per | 17 |
| year. The Commission shall require the recipient of a grant | 18 |
| awarded under the program to use the grant award for payment of | 19 |
| the recipient's educational loan. | 20 |
| Section 15. Application. All applications for grant | 21 |
| assistance under the program must be made to the Commission in |
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| a form and manner prescribed by the Commission. Applicants | 2 |
| shall also submit any supporting documents deemed necessary by | 3 |
| the Commission at the time of application. | 4 |
| Section 20. Eligibility.
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| (a) The Commission shall, on an annual basis, receive and | 6 |
| consider applications for grant assistance under the program. | 7 |
| An applicant is eligible for a grant under the program if the | 8 |
| Commission finds that the applicant:
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| (1) is a United States citizen or permanent
resident;
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| (2) is a resident of Illinois;
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| (3) is working as a registered professional nurse or | 12 |
| licensed practical nurse in a State veterans' home;
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| (4) is a borrower with an outstanding balance due
on an | 14 |
| educational loan; and
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| (5) has not defaulted on an educational loan.
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| (b) Preference may be given to previous recipients of a | 17 |
| grant under the program, provided that the recipient continues | 18 |
| to meet the eligibility requirements set forth in this Section.
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| (c) For each year during which an individual receives a | 20 |
| grant under this program, he or she must fulfill a separate | 21 |
| 12-month period as a registered professional nurse or licensed | 22 |
| practical nurse in a State veterans' home.
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| Section 900. The Department of Veterans Affairs Act is | 24 |
| amended by adding Sections 8 and 9 as follows: |
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| (20 ILCS 2805/8 new)
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| Sec. 8. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Outpatient | 3 |
| Counseling Program. Subject to appropriations for that | 4 |
| purpose, the Department, in consultation with the Department of | 5 |
| Human Services, shall contract with professional counseling | 6 |
| specialists to provide a range of confidential counseling and | 7 |
| direct treatment services to war-affected Southwest Asia | 8 |
| combat veterans and their family members, and to provide | 9 |
| additional treatment services to Viet Nam War veterans for | 10 |
| post-traumatic stress disorder, particularly those Viet Nam | 11 |
| veterans whose post-traumatic stress disorder has intensified | 12 |
| or initially emerged due to the war in the Middle East. Any | 13 |
| such contracts entered into by the Department must be with | 14 |
| individuals and entities pre-approved by the U.S. Department of | 15 |
| Veterans Affairs and must be for the provision of services | 16 |
| pre-approved by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In | 17 |
| consultation with the Department of Human Services, the | 18 |
| Department shall: | 19 |
| (1) develop an educational program designed to inform | 20 |
| and train primary health care professionals, including | 21 |
| mental health professionals, about the effects of | 22 |
| war-related stress and trauma; | 23 |
| (2) provide informational and counseling services for | 24 |
| the purpose of establishing and fostering peer-support | 25 |
| networks throughout the State for families of deployed |
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| members of the reserves and the Illinois National Guard; | 2 |
| and | 3 |
| (3) provide for veterans' families a referral network | 4 |
| of mental health providers who are skilled in treating | 5 |
| deployment stress, combat stress, and post-traumatic | 6 |
| stress. | 7 |
| As used in this Section, "Southwest Asia combat veteran" | 8 |
| means an Illinois resident who is, or who was honorably | 9 |
| discharged as, a member of the Armed Forces of the United | 10 |
| States, a member of the Illinois National Guard, or a member of | 11 |
| any reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States | 12 |
| and who served on active duty in connection with Operation | 13 |
| Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, or Operation Iraqi | 14 |
| Freedom. | 15 |
| (20 ILCS 2805/9 new) | 16 |
| Sec. 9. Veterans Conservation Corps. Subject to | 17 |
| appropriations for that purpose, the Department shall create a | 18 |
| list of honorably discharged veterans, particularly those with | 19 |
| post-traumatic stress disorder and related conditions, who are | 20 |
| interested in working on a volunteer basis on projects that | 21 |
| restore Illinois' natural habitat. The list is referred to as | 22 |
| the Veterans Conservation Corps. The Department shall promote | 23 |
| the opportunity to volunteer for the Veterans Conservation | 24 |
| Corps through its field offices and through cooperating | 25 |
| veterans organizations. Only veterans who grant their approval |
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| may be included on the list. The Department shall consult with | 2 |
| the Department of Natural Resources to determine the most | 3 |
| effective way to market the Veterans Conservation Corps to | 4 |
| State agencies and local governmental or not-for-profit | 5 |
| sponsors of habitat restoration projects.
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| Section 999. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | 7 |
| becoming law.
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