BILL ANALYSIS
SB 1127
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Date of Hearing: June 29, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS
Paul J. Cook, Chair
SB 1127 (Oropeza) - As Amended: May 18, 2010
SENATE VOTE : 35-0
SUBJECT : Veterans: information to family members.
SUMMARY : Requires the California Department of Veterans
Affairs to make available to family members of veterans
returning from active duty user-friendly Internet resources that
provide information on the signs of pertinent ailments from
various conflicts and printed material regarding those ailments
at any public function of the department.
EXISTING LAW: Requires CDVA to aid and assist California
veterans and their families and to administer the California
Veterans Homes.
FISCAL EFFECT : No cost was identified by Senate Appropriations
Committee.
COMMENTS : According to the author, who cites several recent
studies, returning war veterans can often have problems
reintegrating to society. In the modern era, American society
witnessed the problem of reintegration in the early 1980s when
it was discovered that many of the people on skid row were
Vietnam Veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, now known
as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Traditionally it is
the Federal Government's responsibility to take care of
veterans, but as more and more unseen ailments such as PTSD and
Traumatic Brain Injury are affecting veterans who are being
discharged without diagnosis and without notification to the
federal Veterans' Administration (VA).
As a result of unseen and undiagnosed ailments these veterans
then fall through the cracks of the VA health system and land on
county mental health systems, which according to the funding in
that county, may or may not cover that particular ailment.
Veterans from our current conflicts are falling into
homelessness faster than their Vietnam counterparts because of
the inability to integrate back into civilian life.
SB 1127
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When these conditions go untreated some veterans turn to drugs
and alcohol and can often lose what few benefits they have. The
loss of these benefits only continues the downward spiral. When
veterans return home undiagnosed and outside of the VA system,
their family is often the only asset left to help get these
veterans help.
On Monday, May 23, 2009 the Administration announced the launch
of the Network of Care for Veterans web site. In an effort with
other departments the California Department of Veterans Affairs
combined efforts to provide assistance for deserving veterans
who have served. Though the Network of Care, Californians can
show their support for those who serve and have served their
state and nation.
The administration has said, "Fighting in a war is a
life-changing experience. A veteran can leave the battlefield
but leaving behind the pain, the anguish and the terrible
memories is much more difficult and much more challenging to
do."
County mental health directors widely recognize the needs of
returning soldiers and their families, and in their community
mental health plans have included programs and resources to meet
those needs. They used Mental Health Services Act funds to
develop a public-private partnership to develop what they
labeled convenient, easy-to-use online resource specific to the
needs of veterans and service members, the Network of Care. It's
a one-stop resource for access to community mental health
services in all 58 of our California counties. And it's not only
for veterans; it's for their families too.
The Veterans Network of Care was referenced in the veto message
of AB 716 of 2009, as a public/private partnership that provides
social service, mental health, employment, medical and
educational links for veterans and active duty personnel, as
well as their families.
The committee may wish to suggest amendments directing the
California Department of Veterans Affairs to update their
website with a prominently displayed link to the Veterans
Network of Care.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
SB 1127
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Support
None on file.
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Eric Worthen / V. A. / (916) 319-3550