BILL NUMBER: AB 1509	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 25, 2014

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Fox
    (   Coauthors:   Assembly Members 
 Brown   and Quirk-Silva   ) 

                        JANUARY 14, 2014

   An act to add Section 90 to the Military and Veterans Code,
relating to veterans.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1509, as amended, Fox. Veterans: transition assistance.
   Existing law establishes the Department of Veterans Affairs, which
is responsible for administering various programs and services for
the benefit of veterans.
   This bill would require, by  January   July
 1, 2015, the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop a
transition assistance program for veterans who have been discharged
from the Armed Forces of the United States or the National Guard of
any state  within the previous 18 months  , as
specified.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   SECTION 1.    The Legislature finds and declares the
following: 
    (a)     California veterans should receive
ample resources and information to assist their transition into
civilian life. Though California is home to nearly 1.9 million
veterans, California veterans utilize fewer benefits than their peers
at the national level. Further, 50 percent of post 9/11 veterans
experience difficulty transitioning to civilian life and are
experiencing higher rates of   disabilities than previous
generations of veterans. Young post 9/11 veterans   also
experience higher unemployment rates than their civilian
counterparts.  
   (b) The Federal "Transition Assistance Program Goals, Plans and
Success" (TGPS) Program, formerly known as the Transition Assistance
Program, was created in 1990 to inform and assist veterans in
understanding their Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits.
However, TGPS workshops provide information specific to the state
where a veteran is immediately ending his or her service and not to
the location of permanent residence. Veterans who were planning to
move to California after their service do not receive information
about how to best coordinate their VA benefits with existing
California benefits. A California specific transition assistance
program would ensure that all veterans residing in California receive
the resources and information they need to successfully transition
into civilian life. 
   SECTION 1.   SEC. 2.   Section 90 is
added to the Military and Veterans Code, to read:
   90.   (a)    By  January  
July  1, 2015, the Department of Veterans Affairs shall develop
a transition assistance program for veterans who have been discharged
from the Armed Forces of the United States or the National Guard of
any state  within the previous 18 months  . The
program shall be designed to assist veterans in successfully
transitioning from military to civilian life in California and to
complement the transition program offered by the Department of
Defense. The program shall include, but shall not be limited to, 
the following  California-specific transition assistance
 information, California   information: 
higher education benefits and program information, vocational
training assistance,  apprenticeship programs,  
small business resources and information, health care programs and
services, mental health   resources and information, 
military sexual trauma (MST) resources and information, and housing
information. 
   (b) It is the intent of the Legislature that the department
utilize its existing personnel and other resources, including its
existing internet-based CalVet Internet Web site, to disseminate this
information.