Substitute Senate Bill 5358 — Expanding Veterans' Services and Programs (2023 Regular Session)

Summary

Substitute Senate Bill 5358 of the 68th Legislature, 2023 Regular Session, State of Washington, by Senate State Government & Elections (originally sponsored by Senators Gildon, Nobles, Conway, Holy and others), read first time 02/07/23. The act relates to expanding veterans' services and programs and amends RCW 43.60A.101. It directs the department to report to the legislature by September 30, 2024 on the veterans service officer program and on the veteran peer-to-peer training and support program. A further section would have the department provide grants to counties for these programs, prioritizing counties with smaller populations.

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Full text

     S-1213.1

                           SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5358


     State of Washington         68th Legislature        2023 Regular Session

     By Senate State Government & Elections (originally sponsored by
     Senators Gildon, Nobles, Conway, Holy, Lovelett, Nguyen, Randall,
     Torres, Wagoner, Wellman, C. Wilson, and L. Wilson)

     READ FIRST TIME 02/07/23.




1        AN ACT Relating to expanding veterans' services and programs;
2    amending RCW 43.60A.101; adding new sections to chapter 43.60A RCW;
3    creating a new section; and providing expiration dates.


4    BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:


 5       NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that it is vital for
 6   veterans in their return to our communities to have adequate
 7   community supports. Local programs that connect veterans with their
 8   federal benefits and with other veterans for peer support are crucial
 9   components of that structure. It is the intent of the legislature
10   through this act to enhance state funding of these programs to ensure
11   they are robust and widely available throughout the state.


12       NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 43.60A
13   RCW to read as follows:
14       (1) By September 30, 2024, the department must submit a report to
15   the legislature on the veterans service officer program authorized in
16   RCW 43.60A.230 to determine the effectiveness of the program in
17   meeting the needs of veterans in the state. The report must include
18   the number of veterans receiving services from the program, the
19   location of such services, and an analysis of areas of the state that
20   are   lacking  these    services.  The  report   must   also  include
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 1   recommendations for how to phase in an expansion of these services to
 2   these areas.
 3       (2) This section expires December 31, 2024.


 4       Sec. 3.   RCW 43.60A.101 and 2017 c 192 s 5 are each amended to
 5   read as follows:
 6       (1) By ((December 31, 2018)) September 30, 2024, the department
 7   ((of veterans affairs)) must submit a report to the legislature on
 8   the veteran peer-to-peer training and support program authorized in
 9   RCW 43.60A.100 to determine the effectiveness of the program in
10   meeting the needs of veterans in the state. The report must include
11   the number of veterans receiving peer-to-peer support and the
12   location of such support services; the number of veterans trained
13   through the program to provide peer-to-peer support; and the types of
14   training and support services provided by the program. The report
15   must also include an analysis of ((peer-to-peer training and support
16   programs developed by other states, as well as in the private and
17   nonprofit sectors, in order to evaluate best practices for
18   implementing and managing the veteran peer-to-peer training and
19   support program authorized in RCW 43.60A.100)) areas of the state
20   that do not have these support services and are in need of these
21   services, including recommendations for how to phase in an expansion
22   of these services to these areas.
23       (2) This section expires December 31, 2024.


24       NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. A new section is added to chapter 43.60A
25   RCW to read as follows:
26       It is the intent of the legislature to increase state
27   appropriations for veterans service officer and peer mentoring
28   programs with this act. As a result, and subject to the availability
29   of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the department
30   shall provide grants to counties of the state in order to develop or
31   expand veterans service officer programs, peer-to-peer support
32   programs, and other services and programs to assist veterans in areas
33   where these programs and services are needed. In distributing these
34   grants, the department must prioritize counties with smaller
35   populations and counties that are below the national average in the




                                     p. 2                         SSB 5358
1   percentage of   veterans   receiving    federal   disability   or   pension
2   compensation.

                                  --- END ---




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