BILL NUMBER: S6523

SPONSOR: SCARCELLA-SPANTON
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the veterans' services law, in relation to directing the
department of veterans' services to collaborate with other state agen-
cies to establish and maintain a searchable database of resources avail-
able in the state for veterans and their families

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To assist New York State veterans and their families to attain important
access to state funded programs and policies in one uniformed statewide
database.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1. Amend section 4 of the veterans' service law by adding a new
subdivision 38. To, in collaboration with other state agencies includ-
ing, but not limited to, the office of mental health, the department of
health, the office of general services, the department of labor, the
              

department of state, and the department of financial services, establish
and maintain a searchable database of resources available in the state
for veterans and their families.

Such database shall include: general information about and contact
information for resources including, but not limited to, those relating
to veterans' benefits, healthcare, housing, employment, veteran-owned
businesses, survivor benefits, substance abuse disorder treatment, phys-
ical disabilities, educational and job benefits, real property tax
exemptions, suicide prevention and peer outreach and support.

Information about the department's mobile application, established under
subdivision twenty-one of this section.

Links to the departments small business portal, established under subdi-
vision twelve, the department's veterans' employment portal, established
under subdivision thirteen, the department's mental health, substance
abuse, and physical disabilities portals, establish under subdivision
twenty-seven, and the department's military sexual trauma portal, estab-
lished under subdivision thirty-two of this section.

The database created shall be made available on the departments website
and shall be reviewed an updated annually.

Section 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it
shall become a law.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Back in December of 2022 there was a legislative hearing on the Division
of Veterans' Affairs becoming a Department. One of the problems
addressed by actual statewide veterans was that they were having diffi-
culty obtaining important t information that affects their and their
family's lives. Several veterans that testified experienced homeless-
ness, suffered from mental health issues, and improvements on how the
state needs to improve transposition services, transitional housing, and

support for gambling Addiction and LGBTQ community members who served in
the military.

There is a need for one uniformed and collaborative database that shall
be implemented and maintained by the department of veterans' affairs.
This should be implemented with the restructuring and streamlining of
the new department. This will also assist in accurate information for
programs such as the Joseph P. Dwyer Peer-to -Peer Veterans' Support
Program as well as other essential programs that assist local agencies
to implement and share with veterans.

New York I home to at least 800,000 veterans, but only an estimated 17%
access benefits they are eligible for throughout the state. This legis-
lation intent is to improve this percentage by making state agency
information easily accessible to veterans, their families and veteran
advocates.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Yet to be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall become a
law.