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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 6441
January Session, 2025
LCO No. 3517
Referred to Committee on VETERANS' AND MILITARY
AFFAIRS
Introduced by:
(VA)
AN ACT CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS'
OFFICE OF ADVOCACY AND ASSISTANCE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (b) of section 27-102l of the general statutes is 1
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2
2025): 3
(b) (1) The commissioner may appoint a manager to administer an 4
Office of Advocacy and Assistance for the aid and benefit of veterans 5
and their spouses, eligible dependents and family members. The office 6
shall have a staff of not less than [ten] nineteen men and women, 7
including [eight] not less than fourteen veterans' service officers, and 8
not less than three clerical personnel. The manager and veterans' service 9
officers shall be veterans, as defined in subsection (a) of section 27-103, 10
or veterans who were awarded the armed forces expeditionary medal 11
for service by the armed forces. 12
(2) (A) The manager shall develop a training module on assisting and 13
serving women veterans with regard to state or federal services or 14 Raised Bill No. 6441
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benefits and identifying and advising such veterans of community or 15
nonprofit programs focused on assisting and serving such veterans. The 16
manager shall hold and provide instruction for an annual training 17
session, in accordance with such module, to each veterans' service 18
officer and any member of a municipal veterans advisory committee, 19
director of municipal veterans services or municipal veterans 20
representative, as described in subsection (c) of section 27-135, or 21
representative from an Operation Academic Support for Incoming 22
Service Members center at a public institution of higher education in this 23
state. 24
(B) At least one of the veterans' service officers shall be a woman 25
having a demonstrated interest in the concerns of women veterans, who 26
shall be responsible for addressing those concerns, and, effective upon 27
the next opening of a veterans' service officer position occurring on or 28
after July 1, 2010, at least two of the veterans' service officers shall be 29
individuals having bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish, within 30
existing authorized positions. At least two of the veterans' service 31
officers shall, in addition to carrying out the duties under this section, 32
be responsible for overseeing and supporting municipalities' 33
compliance with the provisions of section 27-135. Each veterans' service 34
officer shall (i) successfully complete a course in veterans' benefits not 35
later than one year after commencement of employment, (ii) attend the 36
training session described in subparagraph (A) of this subdivision, and 37
(iii) be assigned to one of the five congressional districts of the state. 38
(3) The office staff shall, at least twice annually, conduct a training 39
course for any member of a municipal veterans advisory committee, 40
director of municipal veterans services or municipal veterans 41
representative. The office staff shall include in such training course a 42
summary of state and federal services and benefits, the requirements 43
under section 27-135, and any assistance the office staff may provide to 44
any such member, director or representative related to such 45
requirements. 46
(4) (A) The office shall develop a written outreach plan identifying (i) 47 Raised Bill No. 6441
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strategies for conducting outreach to veterans and their spouses, eligible 48
dependents and family members for purposes of providing assistance 49
in claims for veterans' services or benefits, and (ii) to the extent possible, 50
specific events and other opportunities to provide such assistance that 51
are sponsored by the office or in which the office is participating. The 52
office shall update such written outreach plan as necessary to improve 53
the efficacy of its outreach efforts. 54
(B) The manager and each veterans' service officer shall electronically 55
track information relating to outreach conducted or attended by the 56
office, including, but not limited to, the title or type of any outreach 57
event conducted or attended and the number of veterans or their 58
spouses, eligible dependents or family members to whom substantive 59
services or referrals were provided. 60
(C) The office shall utilize the notifications received from the 61
administrator of each nursing home and assisted living facility in the 62
state, pursuant to subdivision (2) of subsection (c) of this section, to 63
develop an annual schedule for each veterans' service officer to visit 64
nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The office shall compile any 65
information collected as a result of such visits and provide quarterly 66
reports on such information to the Board of Trustees for the Department 67
of Veterans Affairs. 68
(D) The office shall provide quarterly reports to the Board of Trustees 69
for the Department of Veterans Affairs on (i) concerns raised by veterans 70
or their spouses, eligible dependents or family members, which 71
concerns shall be summarized by type, frequency and resolution, (ii) 72
petitions filed by veterans or their spouses, eligible dependents or 73
family members received by the commissioner under section 27-102l(d)-74
54 of the regulations of Connecticut state agencies for the four preceding 75
months, and (iii) copies of any such petitions. 76
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2025 27-102l(b) Raised Bill No. 6441
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VA Joint Favorable C/R APP