Amended in Assembly March 26, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 75

Introduced by Assembly Member Mathis

January 5, 2015

An act begin delete to amend Section 981.5 of the Military and Veterans Code, end delete relating to veterans begin insert , and making an appropriation therefor end insert .

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 75, as amended, Mathis. Veterans.

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Existing law, the Budget Act of 2014, appropriates $3,000,000 to the Department of Veterans Affairs for the purpose of assisting the United States Department of Veterans Affairs in processing veterans’ claims.

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This bill would extend the authorization to encumber or expend that $3,000,000 until June 30, 2020. By extending the Department of Veterans Affairs’ authority to expend funds, the bill would make an appropriation.

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Existing law authorizes the California Veterans’ Educational Institute, which is under the management and control of the Department of Veterans Affairs, to provide opportunities for veterans to continue their education. Existing law authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to work with authorized agencies of the United States in providing those opportunities.

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This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to this provision.

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Vote:  begin delete majority end delete begin insert ²⁄₃ end insert . Appropriation:  begin delete no end delete begin insert yes end insert . Fiscal committee:  begin delete no end delete begin insert yes end insert . State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

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begin insert SECTION 1. end insert   

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begin insert The Legislature finds and declares: end insert

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(a) The Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) works to serve
California veterans and their families. With nearly two million
veterans living in the state, CalVet strives to ensure that its veterans
of every era and their families receive the state and federal benefits
and services they have earned and deserve as a result of their
selfless and honorable military service. CalVet strives to serve
veterans and their families with dignity and compassion and to
help them achieve their highest quality of life.

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(b) In 2013, Governor Jerry Brown introduced a budget that
authorized $3 million and 36 limited-term positions that allowed
CalVet to coordinate with the United States Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) to assist in reducing its massive veterans’
claims backlog.

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(c) The funds appropriated were used to hire a “Strike Force”
team of 12 Veterans Claims Representatives (VCR) for each of the
VA’s regional offices in the Cities of Los Angeles, Oakland, and
San Diego to focus on backlogged claims, ensuring they are
properly developed and have all necessary documentation needed
for adjudication.

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(d) At the time the CalVet Strike Teams were initially deployed
in the Fall of 2013, the national average wait time for benefits
from the federal government was 349.6 days. This meant the
average veteran waited nearly a year before receiving benefits
that are considered a right. The average wait times in the Cities
of Los Angeles and Oakland were significantly worse than the
national average, at 619.4 days and 617.8 days, respectively.

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(e) As of January 29, 2015, CalVet Strike Team claims review
efforts in the Cities of Los Angeles, Oakland, and San Diego have
reviewed 44,921 claims, resulting in lump sum payments to
California veterans totaling $45,603,451, monthly award payments
totaling $5,878,940, and an annual monthly awards payment total
of $70,547,276 going to California veterans every year for the rest
of their lives.

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(f) While the Strike Teams have done remarkable work, the
mission is still not complete as the VA is still not on pace to fully
eliminate their claims backlog by the end of next year, a goal long
promised by department officials.

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(g) California veterans have served their country and their
communities with honor and distinction, and deserve the benefits
that have been promised to them.

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begin insert SEC. 2. end insert   

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begin insert Three million dollars ($3,000,000) of the amount
appropriated in Item 8955-001-0001 of Section 2.0 of the Budget
Act of 2014 (Chapter 25 of the Statutes of 2014), as referenced in
Provision 5 of that item, shall be available for encumbrance or
expenditure until June 30, 2020, after which it shall revert to the
General Fund. end insert

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SECTION 1.  

Section 981.5 of the Military and Veterans Code
is amended to read:

981.5.  

The department may cooperate and confer with
authorized agencies of the United States in implementing this
article.

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