Public Act 094-0167
 
SB0040 Enrolled LRB094 04310 RSP 34337 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) 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) 2. Establish field offices and direct the
    activities of the personnel assigned to such offices;
        (3) 3. Create a volunteer field force of accredited
    representatives, representing educational institutions,
    labor organizations, veterans organizations, employers,
    churches, and farm organizations;
        (4) 4. Conduct informational and training services;
        (5) 5. Conduct educational programs through
    newspapers, periodicals and radio for the specific purpose
    of disseminating information affecting veterans and their
    dependents;
        (6) 6. Coordinate the services and activities of all
    state departments having services and resources affecting
    veterans and their dependents;
        (7) 7. Encourage and assist in the coordination of
    agencies within counties giving service to veterans and
    their dependents;
        (8) 8. Cooperate with veterans organizations and other
    governmental agencies;
        (9) 9. Make, alter, amend and promulgate reasonable
    rules and procedures for the administration of this Act;
        (10) 10. Make and publish annual reports to the
    Governor regarding the administration and general
    operation of the Department; and
        (11) 11. Encourage the State to implement more programs
    to address the wide range of issues faced by Persian Gulf
    War Veterans, especially those who took part in combat, by
    creating an official commission to further study Persian
    Gulf War Diseases. The commission shall consist of 9
    members appointed as follows: the Speaker and Minority
    Leader of the House of Representatives and the President
    and Minority Leader of the Senate shall each appoint one
    member from the General Assembly, the Governor shall
    appoint 4 members to represent veterans' organizations,
    and the Department shall appoint one member. The commission
    members shall serve without compensation; and .
        (12) Conduct an annual review of the benefits received
    by Illinois veterans that compares benefits received by
    Illinois veterans with the benefits received by veterans in
    all other states and U.S. territories. The required annual
    review shall include, but not be limited to, (1) the
    average benefit paid to individual veterans from Illinois,
    in direct comparison to the average benefit paid to
    individual veterans of each of the other states and U.S.
    territories; (2) the number of veterans receiving benefits
    in Illinois for the first time during the year compared to
    the number of claims filed by Illinois veterans during the
    year; (3) the aggregate number of Illinois veterans
    receiving benefits compared to the number of veterans from
    each of the other states and U.S. territories receiving
    benefits; and (4) a categorical analysis of the types of
    injuries and disabilities for which benefits are being paid
    in Illinois and each of the other states and U.S.
    territories. The benefits review shall be reported to the
    Governor, the General Assembly, and the Illinois
    Congressional delegation upon the completion of the report
    each year.
    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 Korean War Veterans National Museum and
Library Fund, to private organizations for the benefit of the
Korean War Veterans National Museum and Library.
    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. 92-198, eff. 8-1-01; 92-651, eff. 7-11-02;
93-839, eff. 7-30-04.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January
1, 2006.