BILL ANALYSIS �
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
AB 1931 (Gorell) - Veterans Services
Amended: July 5, 2012 Policy Vote: VA 7-0
Urgency: No Mandate: No
Hearing Date: August 6, 2012
Consultant: Maureen Ortiz
This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill Summary: AB 1931 establishes the California Veterans
Services and Workforce Development Division within the
Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) for the purpose of
coordinating and administering veterans' assistance programs,
and transfers those programs from the Employment Development
Department (EDD) to the DVA.
Fiscal Impact:
The Department of Veterans Affairs will incur one-time
administrative costs, likely about $200,000 to establish and
organize the new division, and to transition the specified
programs and staff from EDD. Additional ongoing costs are
expected of $150,000 to coordinate and collaborate with
other state agencies providing veterans services. (General)
The transfer of the DVOP, the LVER, and TAP programs will
necessitate the reallocation of approximately $18 million
and about 180 workforce training positions in annual federal
Jobs for Veterans State Grant funds from the EDD to DVA.
(Federal)
Background: The Transition Assistance Program (TAP) 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 (USDVA). The program was implemented in 1990
and has provided job preparation assistance to over 2 million
separating and retiring members of the military.
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The Local Veterans' Employment Representatives (LVER) program,
also federally funded, provides job placement and support
services directly to qualified veterans. It is designed to
ensure that veterans receive the maximum assistance in
employment and training opportunities.
AB 1931 is modeled after a similar program in Texas which
involved the transfer of veterans assistance programs from the
Texas Workforce Commission to the Texas Veterans Commission.
The Texas reorganization has resulted in that state having one
of the strongest veteran workforce and job training programs in
the nation.
Proposed Law: AB 1931 provides that the new division within the
Department of Veterans Affairs shall do all of the following:
a) Coordinate with other state agencies, including the
California Interagency Council on Veterans, 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.
b) Administer the programs and services described in the
federal Jobs for Veterans State Grant Program including the
Local Veterans' Employment Representatives (LVER) program ,
the Transition Assistance Program (TAP), and the Disabled
Veterans' Outreach Program (DVOP).
c) Ensure that other state agencies and officials that are
interested in the implementation and administration of
veterans services programs are informed when any changes in
existing programs are required, as well as when new
programs are established, and to provide assistance and
benefits to veterans.
These programs are currently administered by the Employment
Development Department. AB 1931 requires the new division to
work with EDD to develop a plan by May 1, 2013 to outline the
transfer of the responsibility for administration of these
programs.
Additionally, AB 1931 transfers all administrative and support
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staff responsible for the administration of LVER, TAP, and DVOP
from the Employment Development Department to the new division
at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and requires that any
costs associated with the implementation of these transfers come
from existing resources of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Job Training and Employment Service to Veterans
Currently, California receives $18 million 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.
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
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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
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 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 are
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. They work with public and private non-profit partners
to provide their services and 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
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The mission of the California Department of Veterans Affairs is
to serve veterans and their families by providing
rehabilitative, residential, and medical care services to the
State's aged or disabled veterans; provide veterans with direct
low-cost loans to acquire farms and homes; and to provide
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
DVA, certain state agencies, veterans' service organizations,
and counties.
Related Legislation: This bill is similar to AB 2143 (Gilmore)
of 2010, and to AB 882 (Cook) of 2011, both of which were
amended in the Assembly Appropriations Committee where the
transfer from EDD to DVA provisions were deleted.
Staff Comments: Staff notes that effective November 2012,
federal legislation mandates that the U. S. Department of Labor
contract all TAP instruction services to private entities rather
than state administration of the program. Consequently, it may
not be appropriate to include the TAP program in the transfer
from EDD to DVA, as EDD will no longer have administrative
authority over TAP beginning November 2012. Additionally, all
funds relating to TAP will remain with the U. S. Department of
Labor.