Senate Bill S7708

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Establishes a veterans' bill of rights

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Veterans, Homeland Security And Military Affairs Committee

  • Introduced
    • In Committee Assembly
    • In Committee Senate
    • On Floor Calendar Assembly
    • On Floor Calendar Senate
    • Passed Assembly
    • Passed Senate
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed By Governor

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2025-S7708 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A6559
Current Committee:
Senate Veterans, Homeland Security And Military Affairs
Law Section:
Veterans' Service Law
Laws Affected:
Add §29-e, Veterans' Services L

2025-S7708 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes a veterans' bill of rights; provides sample language for such bill of rights; requires the department of veterans' services to establish and distribute a veterans' bill of rights and to make such bill of rights available on the departments website.

2025-S7708 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S7708 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7708
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                May 1, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sen. FERNANDEZ -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Securi-
   ty and Military Affairs
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend the veterans' services law, in relation to the estab-
   lishing a veterans' bill of rights

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The  veterans'  services  law  is amended by adding a new
 section 29-e to read as follows:
   § 29-E. VETERANS' BILL OF RIGHTS. 1. THE DEPARTMENT  SHALL  ESTABLISH,
 PRINT,  PUBLISH  AND DISTRIBUTE A VETERANS' BILL OF RIGHTS. SUCH BILL OF
 RIGHTS SHALL INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING OR SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR TEXT:
 "VETERANS' BILL OF RIGHTS
 YOU AS A VETERAN HAVE A RIGHT:
   1. TO APPLY FOR VETERANS' BENEFITS;
   2. TO RECEIVE ASSISTANCE FROM YOUR LOCAL STATE VETERANS' SERVICE AGEN-
 CY AND ALL OFFICES  OF  THE  NEW  YORK  STATE  DEPARTMENT  OF  VETERANS'
 SERVICES;
   3.  TO  RECEIVE  AN EXPLANATION OF THE SERVICES AND BENEFITS AVAILABLE
 UNDER FEDERAL AND NEW YORK STATE LAWS, RULES AND REGULATIONS;
   4. TO RECEIVE WRITTEN NOTICE AND AN EXPLANATION  OF  THE  APPROVAL  OR
 DENIAL  OF  YOUR APPLICATION FOR BENEFITS AVAILABLE UNDER NEW YORK STATE
 LAW;
   5. TO BE TREATED WITH DIGNITY AND RESPECT;
   6. TO APPEAL ANY ADVERSE DETERMINATION OR DENIAL OF  YOUR  APPLICATION
 FOR SERVICES OR BENEFITS AVAILABLE UNDER NEW YORK STATE LAW;
   7. TO EXPECT CONFIDENTIALITY;
   8.  TO  RECEIVE  FAIR AND EQUAL TREATMENT WITHOUT REGARD TO SEX, RACE,
 RELIGION, DISABILITY, ETHNICITY, GENDER IDENTITY OR NATIONAL ORIGIN; AND
   9. TO BE INFORMED OF ASSISTANCE PROVIDED TO VETERANS IN THE  STATE  OF
 NEW  YORK  INCLUDING  BUT  NOT  LIMITED  TO: LEGAL SERVICES; EDUCATIONAL
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD09703-02-5

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