BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó






                        SENATE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS
                              Senator Ben Hueso, Chair
                                               


          BILL NO:  AB 258                   HEARING DATE: 6/11/13
          AUTHOR:   Chavez
          VERSION:  4/23/13
          FISCAL:   Yes
          VOTE:     Majority




                                        SUBJECT  
          
          State agencies: procedures for inquiring about veteran status
           
           
                                      DESCRIPTION  
           
          Summary  :
          
          Changes the wording used when state agencies ask persons, with  
          whom they are interacting, about their military or veteran  
          status.   
          
          Existing law:
           
          Does not specify any specific language for this kind of inquiry.  
           

           This bill:
           
             1.   Mandates that every state agency that inquires whether a  
               person is a veteran must request that information only in  
               the following format: "Have you ever served in the United  
               States military?"

             2.   Specifies that this section shall apply only to a  
               written form or written publication that is newly printed  
               on or after July 1, 2014.
                                           

                                     BACKGROUND  
          









          In 2011, the most recent data available from the United States  
          Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA), California veterans  
          received an average compensation and pension amount of $1,929.   
          This was less than the national average of $2,104.  Increasing  
          the participation rate for California veterans would benefit the  
          veterans and the economy of the state.

          According to the author, when residents are asked if they are a  
          veteran many will incorrectly answer in the negative. The  
          problem seems to be that the term "veteran" often has  
          connotative meanings can that restrict its practical  
          application. In the minds of many, "veteran" refers to older  
          men, who served in the military during World War Two, Korea or  
          Vietnam, wearing an American Legion or VFW uniform cap - and not  
          to younger persons, particularly women, who have served in the  
          military in the last two decades, or who may not have served in  
          combat. Many younger and/or female veterans more readily  
          self-identify as "prior military" or a similar term.
           
           
                                       COMMENT  
          
           Author comments  :

          "Currently California residents are simply asked, "Are you a  
          veteran?" Although a very simple question, many veterans believe  
          they are not true veterans because they have never served in  
          combat or, most commonly, because they are women. In 2011 the  
          California Research Bureau [CRB] conducted a survey on women, 63  
          of the 843 respondents (7.4%), marked that they were not a  
          veteran then included comments such as, "I served in the Air  
          Force," additionally the women stated "I thought veteran  
          benefits were only for men."

          "Furthermore, when the CRB held the ICV (Interagency Council on  
          Veterans) meetings in December 2011, and Jan. and Feb. 2012 both  
          women in the services repeatedly stated that the, "Are you a  
          veteran?" question was insufficient for identifying female  
          veterans and men who had not served in combat.

          "Veterans who do not identify themselves can lose out on many  
          Federal Benefits for which they are entitled. Such benefits  
          include the GI Bill, disability compensation and pension, access  
          AB 258 (Chavez)                                             2
          










          to free or reduced cost medical care, vocational rehab,  
          unemployment benefits, veteran home loans, burial benefits, and  
          survivor benefits."


                                       POSITIONS  
          
          Sponsor:  Author

          Support:
          American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees,  
          AFL-CIO (AFSCME)
          American Association of University Women (AAUW) - California.
          Housing California

          Oppose:   None received
          
          Analysis by: Wade Cooper Teasdale
























          AB 258 (Chavez)                                             3