BILL NUMBER: AB 1509	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE  AUGUST 19, 2014
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 25, 2014

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Fox
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members  Brown  
  and Quirk-Silva   Brown,  
Chesbro,   Quirk-Silva,   Wieckowski,  
and Yamada  )
    (   Coauthors:   Senators  
Berryhill   and Cannella   ) 

                        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 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, as specified. The
bill would require the program to include certain California-specific
transition assistance information. 
   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   information and resources  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   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   post-9/11 
veterans also experience higher unemployment rates than their
civilian counterparts.
   (b) The  Federal "Transition Assistance Program 
 federal Transition  Goals, Plans and  Success"
  Success  (TGPS)  Program,  
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   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. 
   (c) It is the intent of the Legislature that the Department of
Veterans Affairs utilize its existing personnel and other resources,
including its existing CalVet Internet Web site, to disseminate
California-specific transition assistance information developed
pursuant to Section 90 of the Military and Veterans Code, as added by
Section 2 of this act. It is also the intent of the Legislature that
the Department of Veterans Affairs utilize the work and research
produced by the California Interagency Council on Veterans Employment
CAL TAP Sub-Workgroup. 
  SEC. 2.  Section 90 is added to the Military and Veterans Code, to
read:
   90.   (a)    By July 1, 2015,
the  Department of Veterans Affairs   department
 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. 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  United States  Department of Defense. The
program shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following
California-specific transition assistance information: higher
education benefits and program information, vocational training
assistance, 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.