AB 1737, as introduced, Chávez. County veteran service centers: interagency agreements.
Existing law establishes various state benefits for veterans, and authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to assist veterans and their dependents. Existing law authorizes a county board of supervisors to appoint a county veterans service officer to perform certain veteran-related services. Existing law also authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Employment Development Department to enter into interagency agreements with individual counties that elect to participate, to provide resources and staff, or both, as necessary to locate within a single facility owned by the participating county, under the coordination of the county veteran service director, a more complete and convenient local service program for veterans that is nonduplicative and does not conflict with any federal one-stop service program.
This bill would remove references to the Employment Development Department from the above-described provisions, thereby vesting sole authority for the interagency agreements with the Department of Veterans Affairs. The bill also would make related technical changes.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 974.5 of the Military and Veterans Code
2 is amended to read:
(a) The purpose of this section is to provide a
4mechanism to facilitate the delivery of complete, efficient,
5information and other services to veterans in a convenient setting.
6(b) By July 1, 1999, the Department of Veterans Affairsbegin delete and
7the Department of
Employment Developmentend delete
8interagency agreements with individual counties that elect to
9participate in the program pursuant to this section, after a
10determination that services to be provided pursuant to this section
11are not otherwise being provided andbegin delete would, thus,end deletebegin insert thus wouldend insert not
12be duplicated. Services provided pursuant to this section shall not
13be contrary to the purposes of, nor shall they be in conflict with,
14any one-stop service program provided under federal guidelines.
15Pursuant to the agreementsbegin insert,end insert thebegin delete departmentsend deletebegin insert
departmentend insert may agree
16to provide resources and staff, or both, as necessarybegin insert,end insert to locate
17within a single facility owned by the participating county, under
18the coordination of the county veteran service director, a more
19complete and convenient local service program for veterans.
20(c) The veteran service center shall be staffed with persons
21knowledgeable in employment and veterans benefits issues, and
22shall contain all necessary resources, information, forms, and other
23materials necessary for a veteran to receive full employment
24assistance and a complete assessment of veterans benefits to which
25he or she is entitled.
26(d) The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of
27Employment Development, after consulting with participating
28counties, shall jointly report to the Legislature by January 1, 2002,
29regarding the progress of the program.
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