Public Act 100-0084
 
SB0866 EnrolledLRB100 08696 MJP 18831 b

    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Department of Veterans Affairs Act is
amended by changing Section 2 as follows:
 
    (20 ILCS 2805/2)  (from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 67)
    Sec. 2. Powers and duties. The Department shall have the
following powers and duties:
    To perform such acts at the request of any veteran, or his
or her spouse, surviving spouse or dependents as shall be
reasonably necessary or reasonably incident to obtaining or
endeavoring to obtain for the requester any advantage, benefit
or emolument accruing or due to such person under any law of
the United States, the State of Illinois or any other state or
governmental agency by reason of the service of such veteran,
and in pursuance thereof shall:
        (1) Contact veterans, their survivors and dependents
    and advise them of the benefits of state and federal laws
    and assist them in obtaining such benefits;
        (2) Establish field offices and direct the activities
    of the personnel assigned to such offices;
        (3) Create and maintain a volunteer field force; the
    volunteer field force may include representatives from the
    following without limitation: educational institutions,
    labor organizations, veterans organizations, employers,
    churches, and farm organizations; the volunteer field
    force may not process federal veterans assistance claims;
        (4) Conduct informational and training services;
        (5) Conduct educational programs through newspapers,
    periodicals, social media, television, and radio for the
    specific purpose of disseminating information affecting
    veterans and their dependents;
        (6) Coordinate the services and activities of all state
    departments having services and resources affecting
    veterans and their dependents;
        (7) Encourage and assist in the coordination of
    agencies within counties giving service to veterans and
    their dependents;
        (8) Cooperate with veterans organizations and other
    governmental agencies;
        (9) Make, alter, amend and promulgate reasonable rules
    and procedures for the administration of this Act;
        (10) Make and publish annual reports to the Governor
    regarding the administration and general operation of the
    Department;
        (11) (Blank); and
        (12) (Blank); and .
        (13) Provide informational resources and education to
    veterans returning from deployment regarding service
    animals for individuals with disabilities, including, but
    not limited to, resources and education on service animals
    that guide people who are blind, pull a wheelchair, alert a
    person with hearing loss, protect a person having a
    seizure, assist a person with a traumatic brain injury, and
    calm a person with post-traumatic stress disorder during an
    anxiety attack or psychiatric episode.
    The Department may accept and hold on behalf of the State,
if for the public interest, a grant, gift, devise or bequest of
money or property to the Department made for the general
benefit of Illinois veterans, including the conduct of
informational and training services by the Department and other
authorized purposes of the Department. The Department shall
cause each grant, gift, devise or bequest to be kept as a
distinct fund and shall invest such funds in the manner
provided by the Public Funds Investment Act, as now or
hereafter amended, and shall make such reports as may be
required by the Comptroller concerning what funds are so held
and the manner in which such funds are invested. The Department
may make grants from these funds for the general benefit of
Illinois veterans. Grants from these funds, except for the
funds established under Sections 2.01a and 2.03, shall be
subject to appropriation.
    The Department has the power to make grants, from funds
appropriated from the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund, for
benefits authorized under the Survivors Compensation Act.
(Source: P.A. 99-314, eff. 8-7-15; 99-576, eff. 7-15-16.)