Amended in Senate June 17, 2014

Amended in Assembly April 22, 2014

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1565

Introduced by Assembly Member V. Manuel Pérez

January 29, 2014

begin delete An act to add Article 3.05 (commencing with Section 987.40) to Chapter 6 of Division 4 of the Military and Veterans Code, relating to veterans. end delete begin insert An act to add Section 9103.2 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to veterans. end insert

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1565, as amended, V. Manuel Pérez. begin delete Department of Veterans Affairs: state services for veterans. end delete begin insert California Department of Aging: grants: LGBT veteran services. end insert

begin insert

Existing law, the Mello-Granlund Older Californian’s Act, establishes the California Department of Aging and sets forth its duties and powers, including, among other things, administering all programs under the act and the federal Older Americans Act of 1965, which includes providing technical assistance to area agencies on aging, program managers, staff, and volunteers providing services. Existing law provides findings and declarations relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) seniors and requires each area agency on aging to include the needs of LGBT seniors in their needs assessment and area plans.

end insert begin insert

This bill would authorize the Director of the California Department of Aging to provide grants, to the extent appropriations are made available, for nonprofit organizations with experience providing culturally competent services and training to provide training, outreach, and education to agencies, individuals, and other appropriate entities that provide services to veterans who are elder and lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.

end insert begin delete

Existing law establishes the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is responsible for administering various programs and services for the benefit of veterans.

end delete begin delete

This bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to review existing providers of transportation services to veterans for the purpose of identifying those areas of the state most in need of volunteer transportation providers for veterans. The bill would also require the department to compile a list, by county, of veterans’ transportation providers and to make the list available on its Internet Web site and on mobile devices, as specified.

end delete

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

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

begin insert

begin insert SECTION 1. end insert   

end insert

begin insert Section 9103.2 is added to the end insert begin insert Welfare and
Institutions Code end insert begin insert , to read: end insert

begin insert

begin insert 9103.2. end insert   

The Director of the California Department of Aging
may, to the extent appropriations are made available, provide
grants for nonprofit organizations with experience providing
culturally competent services and training, through a request for
proposal process, to provide training, outreach, and education to
agencies, individuals, and other appropriate entities that provide
services to veterans who are elder and lesbian, gay, bisexual, or
transgender.

end insert

begin delete

SECTION 1.  

Article 3.05 (commencing with Section 987.40)
is added to Chapter 6 of Division 4 of the Military and Veterans
Code, to read:

 

Article 3.05.  Veterans Transportation Program

 

987.40.  

(a) The department shall review existing veterans’
transportation providers for the purpose of identifying those areas
of the state most in need of volunteer transportation providers for
veterans.

(b) (1) The department shall compile a list, by county, of all
entities that provide transportation services to veterans for the
purposes of attending medical and mental health appointments,
including the provider’s telephone number, address, and point of
contact, if known.

(2) The department shall post the list of veterans’ transportation
providers on its Internet Web site and shall make that list available
via the department’s mobile application, known as “CalVet Mobile
App.,” to enable access by mobile telephone and other devices.

end delete