House Bill 1925 — Veterans Service Officer Program (Washington, 2024 Regular Session)

Summary

House Bill 1925 of the State of Washington, 68th Legislature, 2024 Regular Session, by Representatives Shavers, Leavitt, Ramel, Reed and others. The bill is an act relating to expanding the veterans service officer program to increase veteran support statewide, amending RCW 43.60A.230 and 43.60A.235 and adding a new section to chapter 43.60A RCW. Section 1 provides that the department must support veterans by providing information regarding available veterans services, including county-specific information on the department website. It also requires a report to the governor and the appropriate standing committees of the legislature every two years. It was prefiled 12/11/23 and read first time 01/08/24.

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Full text

     H-2126.2

                                HOUSE BILL 1925


     State of Washington       68th Legislature       2024 Regular Session

     By Representatives Shavers, Leavitt, Ramel, Reed, Simmons, Timmons,
     Donaghy, Reeves, Riccelli, Davis, and Paul

     Prefiled 12/11/23. Read first time 01/08/24. Referred to Committee
     on Innovation, Community & Economic Development, & Veterans.




1        AN ACT Relating to expanding the veterans service officer program
2    to increase veteran support statewide; amending RCW 43.60A.230 and
3    43.60A.235; and adding a new section to chapter 43.60A RCW.


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


 5       NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 43.60A
 6   RCW to read as follows:
 7       The department must support veterans by providing information
 8   regarding available veterans services. Subject to the availability of
 9   amounts appropriated from the veterans service officer fund for the
10   specific purposes provided in this section, the department must:
11       (1) Contact veterans within 90 days of receipt of a discharge
12   notice from the department of defense and provide information about
13   veterans benefits and services;
14       (2) Provide county-specific information on the department website
15   identifying services and resources available to veterans using
16   information provided to the department by county veterans assistance
17   programs and local branches of nationally recognized veterans service
18   organizations; and
19       (3) Beginning December 2025, and every two years thereafter,
20   report to the governor and the appropriate standing committees of the


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 1   legislature regarding veterans services. The report must include, at
 2   a minimum:
 3       (a) The number of veterans residing in each county;
 4       (b) The number and type of veterans services available in each
 5   county;
 6       (c) The number of veterans served in the reporting period by the
 7   department,   veterans   service   officer   program,   and   counties
 8   contracting with the department for veterans services, including the
 9   number of veterans served who reside in an adjacent county;
10       (d) The number of claims filed in the reporting period by
11   veterans service organizations contracting with the department;
12       (e) The percentage of veterans served in the reporting period who
13   received federal disability or pension compensation; and
14       (f) Identification of:
15       (i) Each county where the percentage of the veteran population
16   receiving federal disability or pension compensation is below the
17   national average; and
18       (ii) Each county that does not provide access to a veterans
19   service officer through the veterans' assistance program defined in
20   RCW 73.08.005, through a contract with the department, through the
21   veterans service officer program described in RCW 43.60A.230, or
22   directly through the department.


23       Sec. 2.   RCW 43.60A.230 and 2019 c 223 s 1 are each amended to
24   read as follows:
25       (1) There is created in the department the veterans service
26   officer program. The purpose of the veterans service officer program
27   is to provide funding to underserved eligible counties to establish
28   and maintain a veterans service officer within the county. "Eligible
29   counties," for the purposes of this section, means counties with a
30   resident veteran population of ((one hundred thousand)) 50,000 or
31   less.
32       (2) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated in the
33   veterans service officer fund under RCW 43.60A.235 for the specific
34   purposes provided in this section, the department must:
35       (a) Establish a process to educate local governments, veterans,
36   and those still serving in the national guard or armed forces reserve
37   of the veterans service officer program;



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 1       (b) Develop partnerships with local governments to assist in
 2   establishing and maintaining local veterans service officers in
 3   eligible counties who elect to have a veterans service officer; and
 4       (c) Provide funding to support eligible counties in establishing
 5   and maintaining local accredited veterans service officers. ((Funding
 6   is provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Funding may only be
 7   provided to support the equivalent of one full-time veterans service
 8   officer per eligible county.)) The department shall prioritize
 9   additional funding to eligible counties where the percentage of the
10   veteran   population   receiving   federal   disability   or   pension
11   compensation is below the national average, and to eligible counties
12   without a veterans service officer.
13       (3) The application process for the veterans service officer
14   program must be prescribed as to manner and form by the department.
15       (4) The department may adopt rules necessary to implement this
16   section. The department shall include a requirement that any county
17   that participates in the program must allow any veteran residing in
18   an adjacent county access to the county's veteran service officer.
19       (5) For purposes of this section, "veterans service officer"
20   means an accredited veterans service officer funded by the veterans
21   service officer fund created in RCW 43.60A.235.


22       Sec. 3.   RCW 43.60A.235 and 2019 c 223 s 2 are each amended to
23   read as follows:
24       (1) There is created in the custody of the state treasurer an
25   account to be known as the veterans service officer fund. Revenues to
26   the fund consist of appropriations by the legislature, private
27   contributions, and all other sources deposited in the fund.
28       (2) Expenditures from the fund may only be used for the purposes
29   of the veterans service officer program under RCW 43.60A.230 and
30   section 1 of this act, including administrative expenses. Only the
31   director, or the director's designee, may authorize expenditures. The
32   account is subject to allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW,
33   but an appropriation is not required for expenditures.

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