BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1931
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 24, 2012
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS
Paul J. Cook, Chair
AB 1931 (Gorell) - As Amended: April 16, 2012
SUBJECT : Department of Veterans Affairs: consolidation of
services to veterans.
SUMMARY : This bill would establish the California Veterans
Services and Workforce Development Division (Division) within
the Department of Veterans Affairs (Department) for the purpose
of coordinating and administering veterans assistance programs
in the state, and would require the Division to perform various
functions and duties relating to the coordination and
administration of veterans assistance programs, as specified.
Requires the administrative and support staff responsible for
the administration of the specified programs to be transferred
from the Employment Development Department (EDD) to the
Division, and would require the costs of the transfer to utilize
existing resources of the Department. Specifically, this bill :
Establishes the Division within the Department for the purpose
of coordinating and administering veterans assistance programs
in the state. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall have
authority over the Division.
States that the Division shall do all of the following:
Coordinate with other state agencies that provide benefits and
assistance to veterans to ensure that information about veterans
assistance programs and benefits is made available to all state
agencies that serve veterans in the state.
Administer the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) and oversee
the duties of Local Veterans' Employment Representatives (LVER)
as prescribed under the federal Jobs for Veterans State Grants
program, in cooperation with the Employment Development
Department (EDD). The division shall work with staff from the
EDD to develop a plan whereby responsibility for the
administration of TAP and the LVER shall be transferred from the
EDD to the division. The development of the plan shall be
completed on or before May 1, 2013.
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Requires the Division to inform other state agencies and
officials that are involved in the implementation and
administration of veterans services programs when any changes in
existing programs are required, or new programs are established
that provide assistance and benefits to veterans
Requires that those agencies and officials report to the
Division when those changes occur or new programs are
established.
Requires the Division to coordinate with staff from other state
agencies, including, but not limited to, the Labor and Workforce
Development Agency, the Employment Training Panel, the
California Workforce Investment Board, the State Department of
Mental Health, the Department of General Services, the State
Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, and representatives of
the University of California, the California State University,
and the California Community Colleges with regard to the
provision of veterans services and benefits.
Directs that all administrative and support staff responsible
for the administration of TAP and the LVER shall be transferred
from the EDD to the Division.
Directs that any costs associated with the implementation of
these transfers shall utilize existing resources of the
Department, as the operational cost of these programs utilizes
funding from the Jobs for Veterans State Grant program, as
prescribed within the United States Department of Labor.
EXISTING LAW
1. Establishes the Department of Veteran's Affairs within
state government and sets forth its powers and duties,
including, but not limited to, administration of veterans
benefits programs. Also, existing law establishes within the
California Department of Veterans Affairs, the Veterans Service
Division.
2. Establishes the California Veterans Board within the
department and sets forth its powers and duties, including, but
not limited to its power to determine operational policy for the
department.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown at this time.
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COMMENTS :
Texas Outreach Model
In 2005, the United States Department Veterans Affairs sent $6
billion in funding to the state of California. Of this amount,
$2.66 billion was in the form of disability payments to
veterans. However, Texas, with a veteran population of only 1.7
million, collected 44 percent more in veteran disability
payments than California.
According to the author,
In 2005, the Texas veteran workforce program ranked 32nd in
the nation in veteran employment and retention. The
following year, legislation was passed to transfer the
program from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) to the
Texas Veterans Commission (TVC).
By the end of 2007, Texas' employment retention rate had
risen from 32 to 86 percent.
According to the DEPARTMENT OF LABOR'S VETERANS EMPLOYMENT
TRAINING SERVICE, "Performance Outcomes by State" quarterly
report ending December 31, 2010,
----------------------------------------------------------------
|State |Entered |Employment |Entered |Employment |
| |Employment |Retention |Employment |Retention |
| |Rate |Rate |Rate |Rate |
| | | |(Disabled |(Disabled |
| | | |veteran) |veteran) |
|------------+------------+------------+------------+------------|
|California |33 |73 |31 |74 |
|------------+------------+------------+------------+------------|
|Texas |50 |80 |47 |81 |
----------------------------------------------------------------
Texas' prior poor performance was attributed to a lack focus and
limited ability to provide direct assistance to unemployed
veterans. The veteran representatives at the Texas One Stops
served a variety of client groups including veterans. Once the
workforce programs were transferred, the TVC convened a veteran
stakeholder focus group to develop clear performance standards
and reporting requirements to help guide the program. In
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addition, the veteran representatives at the One Stops were
directed to exclusively serve veterans as guided by the newly
established standards.
Job Training and Employment Service to Veterans
Currently, California receives $18 million dollars annually from
the United States Department of Labor to pay for approximately
180 workforce training staff. Assigned to positions within the
Employment Development Department, these federally funded staff
are dedicated to serving the needs of veterans. Some of the
staff are stationed in Sacramento, while others are spread
throughout the state at the Employment Development Department's
one-stop job centers.
As a part of "Operation Welcome Home," a program from the
previous administration for California veterans, the Employment
Development Department hired approximately 325 limited term
employees beginning January 2010 to make up the Cal-Vet Corps.
EDD used these personnel to help newly discharged veterans
access the benefits and services they need to successfully enter
the civilian workforce. This program has been discontinued
under the current administration.
In addition to the efforts outlined above, the state currently
spends in excess of $500 million in a variety of job training
efforts. Those programs, while not targeted exclusively at
serving veterans, would be available for most veterans to access
if they meet the eligibility requirements of the programs.
The California Employment Development Department is responsible,
in coordination with the California Workforce Investment Board,
for administering a federal Department of Labor Veterans
Employment Training grant. The Disabled Veterans Outreach
Program operated under the federal rules and regulations but no
state regulations have been created to codify this program.
Through the Employment Development Department's One-Stop system,
veteran customers may elect self-service, facilitated self-help,
or staff-assisted one-on-one service. Most veterans are able to
use the self-service systems and will self-identify as veterans
to establish their eligibility for veterans' priority. The Local
Veterans Employment Representative and Disabled Veterans
Outreach Program staff members are available at One-Stop Career
Centers to provide facilitated self-help or staff-assisted
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service to veterans who require additional assistance. Local
Veterans Employment Representative and Disabled Veterans
Outreach Program staff screen veterans for potential barriers to
employment and identify the need for additional services. At
each One-Stop center, LVER and DVOP staff will raise veterans'
issues, including efforts to expand information provided to
veterans regarding available services.
At the request of One-Stop partners, Local Veterans Employment
Representative and Disabled Veterans Outreach Program staff may
also be assigned to other locations that serve large veteran
populations; and case management services for veterans are
customer-focused and customer-driven. These include referrals
from the Department of Veterans Affairs Vocational
Rehabilitation and Counseling system. Veterans are provided
choices based upon need and the resources available to meet
those needs. When necessary and when appropriate, customers will
be assisted in accessing resources outside of the One-Stop
systems.
The One-Stops, administered through local workforce investment
boards, are a statewide network of centers that provide
employment, education, and training services all in one
location. The One-Stops work with public and private non-profit
partners to provide their services. The One-Stops include
programs such as Job Services, Unemployment Insurance,
Vocational Education, and Vocational Rehabilitation including
services particularly targeted to veterans.
The Transition Assistance Program is a federal program that was
created to assist military personnel that are preparing to
separate or retire. This program is a cooperative effort
between Department of Labor's Veterans Employment Training
Service, the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
(USVA). This program was instituted in 1990 and has provided
job preparation assistance to over 2 million separating and
retiring members of the military.
The California Department of Veterans Affairs Operational
Capabilities
The mission of the California Department of Veterans Affairs
(department) is to serve these veterans and their families by
providing rehabilitative, residential, and medical care services
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to the State's aged or disabled veterans; providing veterans
with direct low-cost loans to acquire
farms and homes; and providing veterans and their families with
aid and assistance in presenting their claims for federal,
state, and local veterans' benefits.
The department does not consider its role to include providing
direct services that are already offered by other agencies;
rather, the services the department provides to veterans exist
within a
larger service delivery system that it relies on its Veterans
Services Division to connect and coordinate with. This service
delivery system consists of a variety of key players that
provide direct services to veterans, including the federal VA,
certain state agencies, veterans' service organizations, and
counties.
The October 27, 2009 audit report published by the California
State Auditor identified the Department of Alcohol and Drug
Programs, the EDD, the Employment Training Panel, the Department
of Housing and Community Development, the Labor and Workforce
Development Agency, the Department of Mental Health, and the
Military Department as examples of other state entities that
might serve veterans. The audit findings found that the
California Department of Veterans Affairs has collaborated with,
or is making efforts to collaborate with, the all of these state
entities mentioned in this paragraph. However, there are few
formal agreements with the state entities that the Veterans
Services Division collaborates with. Therefore they are unable
to be accountable or hold any one accountable for the agreed
upon services and are unable to ensure that these services could
continue despite staff turnover, changes in agency priorities,
or other factors that could erode collaborative efforts.
The Audit reveals shortcomings at the California Department of
Veterans Affairs
The October 27, 2009 audit report published by the Bureau of
State Audits found that the Department of Veterans Affairs
provides few direct services to veterans, outside of its
operation of the Veterans' Homes of California and the CalVet
Farm and Home Loan program, and that the department has
extremely limited interaction and few formal agreements with
other state agencies and departments that could provide
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additional services to veterans if done in a coordinated and
efficient manner.
The 2009 audit additionally noted that the Department of
Veterans Affairs strategic plan covering the 2007-08 to 2011-12
fiscal years, inclusive, was incomplete and has not formally
assessed veterans' needs, has not included key stakeholders in
its strategic planning process, and has not effectively measured
its progress towards meeting the goals and objectives identified
in the plan.
The 2009 audit additionally confirmed that California's veterans
participate in federal disability and pension benefits at rates
that are significantly lower than those in other states with
large veteran populations. These disability payments are paid
directly to the veterans and generate a significant contribution
to California's economy.
Questions for Committee Members
Which department is best suited to deliver high quality job
training and employment services to veterans? The Employment
Development Department and the California Department of Veterans
Affairs are charged with helping veterans find services and both
have shown they are challenged at meeting the requirements of
providing quality service to veterans.
Should the California Department of Veterans Affairs be
entrusted to administer another program? This would put this
department in the business of providing a direct service outside
of the arena of the CalVet Home Loan Program and the
administration of the Veterans Home of California.
Should we consider giving all the job training and employment
programs to the California Department of Veterans Affairs,
instead of seeking improvement within the Employment Development
Division? The rational for giving this department an
opportunity to show it can properly provide direct services to
veterans can be applied to all the programs that provide
services to veterans. All these programs make up a continuum of
job services that veterans need to gain employment in the
civilian world.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
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Support
American Legion- Department of California
AMVETS- Department of California
California Association of County Veteran Service Officers
California State Commanders
Opposition
None on File
Analysis Prepared by : John Spangler / V. A. / (916) 319-3550