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AN ACT relating to veterans. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
Section 1. KRS 154.12-330 is amended to read as follows: 3
(1) The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority is hereby authorized to 4
develop and fund a small business loan program to assist new or existing small 5
businesses operating in the Commonwealth. The authority may lend up to one 6
hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) to any eligible small business for acquisition, 7
construction, expansion, working capital, or any other business expense the 8
authority deems reasonable to approve. 9
(2) The authority shall determine the terms, conditions, and requirements for loans 10
issued under this section, including collateral requirements when deemed 11
reasonable and appropriate. Recognizing that small businesses, while essential for 12
the economic vitality of the Commonwealth, may have difficulty obtaining 13
conventional loans, the authority may provide terms that are more lenient, high-risk, 14
less secure, or otherwise less stringent than industry standards. 15
(3) To be eligible for a loan under this section, a small business shall be engaged in 16
manufacturing, agribusiness, or service or technology, shall not be engaged 17
primarily in retail, and shall commit to creating and maintaining at least one (1) 18
new full-time job above the number existing on the date of application. 19
(4) The authority shall develop criteria to evaluate loan applications that give 20
investment preference to businesses that: 21
(a) Employ veterans at a rate of no less than twenty-five percent (25%) of the 22
business's total number of employees; or 23
(b) Are veteran-owned businesses, as defined in KRS 14A.1-070. 24
The authority shall use these criteria to make all reasonable efforts to direct at 25
least seven percent (7%) of loaned funds each year to these businesses, provided 26
that the authority receives qualified applications from these businesses that 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1489
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request at least seven percent (7%) of the total funds budgeted to be loaned each 1
year. 2
SECTION 2. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 151B IS CREATED TO 3
READ AS FOLLOWS: 4
(1) The Office of the Kentucky Center for Statistics shall produce a monthly 5
electronic report that shall: 6
(a) Include workforce need projections which are organized by industry, major 7
occupational group, geographic region, and necessary credentials or 8
training; 9
(b) Compare those workforce need projections with existing and projected 10
workforce availability as well as the availability of necessary credentials in 11
the Commonwealth; 12
(c) Highlight in-demand industries, occupational groups, and credentials by 13
geographic region; and 14
(d) Include a list of which in-demand jobs and credentials would leverage the 15
skills, experience, and credentials possessed by veterans. 16
(2) The office shall, at least once per month, forward this report, underlying data, 17
and any additional relevant information to: 18
(a) The Kentucky Commission on Military Affairs; 19
(b) Military out-placement offices; 20
(c) Vocational education centers; and 21
(d) Nonprofit programs which connect veterans to jobs. 22
SECTION 3. A NEW SECTION OF SUBCHAPTER 12 OF KRS CHAPTER 23
154 IS CREATED TO READ AS FOLLOWS: 24
(1) The Kentucky Commission on Military Affairs shall annually review 25
apprenticeship, training, and other in-state vocational programs focused on 26
providing job training and placement to returning veterans. This annual review 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1489
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shall compare the costs and outcomes of the reviewed programs. 1
(2) The commission shall use the results of the annual review to develop a series of 2
recommendations on how to utilize state funding to expand those programs which 3
receive the most favorable evaluations. The commission shall include an 4
estimation of the future returns and improved outcomes from proposed program 5
expansions to the Commonwealth. 6
(3) The commission shall provide an annual report describing its recommendations 7
from subsection (2) of this section to the Legislative Research Commission for 8
referral to the Interim Joint Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public 9
Protection, the Interim Joint Committee on Licensing, Occupations, and 10
Administrative Regulations, and the Interim Joint Committee on Economic 11
Development and Workforce Investment, and to the Office of the Governor to 12
assist those entities in making annual budget decisions prior to November 1 of 13
each year for five (5) years after the effective date of this Act. 14
SECTION 4. A NEW SECTION OF SUBCHAPTER 12 OF KRS CHAPTER 15
154 IS CREATED TO READ AS FOLLOWS: 16
(1) The Kentucky Commission on Military Affairs is directed to review all state 17
occupational licenses for which military members may have relevant training or 18
experience and to produce a report recommending steps that can be taken to 19
increase the recognition of military training and experience towards in-state 20
licensing within one (1) year from the effective date of this Act. 21
(2) The commission shall thereafter: 22
(a) Take any steps identified in the report that can be taken without further 23
legislation as soon as practicable and not later than one (1) year after 24
issuance of the report; and 25
(b) Report to the Legislative Research Commission for referral to the Interim 26
Joint Committee on Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1489
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Regulations and the Interim Joint Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs, 1
and Public Protection annually to request that those entities consider any 2
necessary legislation. 3
SECTION 5. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 311 IS CREATED TO 4
READ AS FOLLOWS: 5
(1) The Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure shall review all licensing practices 6
and take all necessary and appropriate steps to increase recognition of military 7
training and experience toward in-state licensing of nurses and physician 8
assistants through the promulgation of administrative regulations. 9
(2) The board shall report to the Legislative Research Commission for referral to the 10
Interim Joint Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection, 11
and the Interim Joint Committee on Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative 12
Regulations within one (1) year of the effective date of this Act any additional 13
steps that would require legislation and request that those entities consider any 14
necessary legislation. 15
SECTION 6. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 164 IS CREATED TO 16
READ AS FOLLOWS: 17
(1) Any veteran who enrolls as a student in good standing at a public postsecondary 18
education institution shall, upon application for academic credit, be granted 19
academic credit towards his or her degree for the completion of courses that were 20
part of that veteran's military training or service if the completed courses meet 21
the standards of all appropriate discipline-specific accrediting bodies and 22
institutional accrediting agencies as recognized by the United States Department 23
of Education. 24
(2) No fee, tuition, or other charge shall be assessed against a veteran for academic 25
credit granted pursuant to this section. 26
(3) The governing boards of all public postsecondary education institutions shall 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1489
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adopt procedures necessary to fully implement the provisions of this section. 1
SECTION 7. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 164 IS CREATED TO 2
READ AS FOLLOWS: 3
The governing boards of all public institutions shall adopt rules and procedures to: 4
(1) Include veterans and National Guard members in any early course registration 5
period, if the institution offers an early course registration period to any segment 6
of the student population; 7
(2) Award full academic credit to a student who is called to active duty in the United 8
States military for a course if at the time the student is called to active duty: 9
(a) The student has completed at least eighty-five (85%) of the coursework 10
contributing to the final grade in the course, including but not limited to 11
exams and classroom attendance, if applicable; and 12
(b) Has a passing grade; 13
(3) Refund a portion of tuition and fees to a student who is called to active duty and 14
does not meet the requirements of subsection (2) of this section for academic 15
credit to be awarded, that portion being determined by taking the total amount of 16
tuition and fees paid by the student for the current academic term and 17
multiplying that total amount by the percentage of academic credits for which the 18
student is enrolled in the current term for which the student is not eligible to 19
receive academic credit under subsection (2) of this section; 20
(4) Permit all veterans and any National Guard member who is returning from active 21
duty to do the following without incurring late fees or other penalties: 22
(a) File an application for admission at any time prior to the first day of classes 23
of the semester for which the applicant is seeking admission; 24
(b) Once an application has been filled but before the institution has issued a 25
determination on admission, register for available courses and permit the 26
applicant to attend courses provisionally; and 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1489
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(c) If an applicant is not registered for classes upon admission to the 1
institution, register for available courses prior to the registration deadline. 2
Section 8. KRS 40.317 is amended to read as follows: 3
(1) The Kentucky Department of Veterans' Affairs shall employ [no more than five (5) 4
]veterans' benefits regional administrators and [no fewer than twenty (20) ]veterans' 5
benefits field representatives. 6
(a)[(1)] The duties of a veterans' benefits regional administrator shall include but 7
not be limited to supervision of veterans' benefits field representatives in an 8
assigned region. 9
(b)[(2)] The duties of a veterans' benefits field representative shall include but 10
not be limited to providing assistance to veterans and their dependents with 11
initiation, preparation, documentation, and adjudication of claims to benefits 12
under federal, state, or local laws. 13
(2) The department shall, whenever feasible, select and train veterans' benefits field 14
representatives and veterans' benefits regional administrators who have direct 15
knowledge of the veteran communities they serve. 16
(3) Veterans' benefits field representatives shall help identify all federal and other 17
health benefits, coverage, and services available to veterans and their families. 18
(4) Veterans' benefits field representatives shall coordinate with relevant 19
departments, health care providers, and health insurance programs to help 20
veterans and their beneficiaries apply for coverage under such programs, 21
including helping veterans overcome barriers within the health care system to 22
ensure enrollment in health plans and effective delivery and coordination of 23
health services. 24
(5) Initiatives by veterans' benefits field representatives shall, whenever feasible, 25
leverage existing resources and structures where veterans and their families are 26
likely to be found. 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1489
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SECTION 9. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 40 IS CREATED TO 1
READ AS FOLLOWS: 2
(1) The Kentucky Department of Veterans' Affairs shall examine all existing 3
programs designed to increase access to affordable quality health care by using 4
the veterans' benefits field representatives described in Section 8 of this Act as a 5
source of information about the unique needs and coverage and treatment gaps 6
faced by veterans and their families in order to evaluate if the needs of veterans 7
and their families are met by those programs or whether further coordination 8
with the veterans' benefits field representatives or other programs or initiatives 9
would better meet those needs. 10
(2) The department shall, upon completing any steps identified in subsection (1) of 11
this section, produce a report of its findings, recommendations, and any 12
additional legislative or budgetary action it recommends and deliver the report to 13
the Legislative Research Commission for referral to the Interim Joint Committee 14
on Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection, the Interim Joint Committee 15
on Health Services, and the Interim Joint Committee on Families and Children, 16
and to the Office of the Governor, and shall make the report freely available to 17
the public. 18
(3) The department shall prepare a report showing the impacts that Medicaid 19
expansion under 42 U.S.C. § 1396a and other relevant federal law has had to 20
date for veterans and their families in Kentucky. The report shall include any 21
recommendations for better including or serving veterans and their families in 22
that expansion. The department shall deliver that report to the Legislative 23
Research Commission for referral to the Interim Joint Committee on Veterans, 24
Military Affairs, and Public Protection, the Interim Joint Committee on Families 25
and Children, and the Interim Joint Committee on Health Services, and to the 26
Office of the Governor, and shall make the report freely available to the public. 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1489
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SECTION 10. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 40 IS CREATED TO 1
READ AS FOLLOWS: 2
(1) The Kentucky Department of Veterans' Affairs shall ensure that veterans and 3
their families have access to mental health treatment, including for post-4
traumatic stress disorder, depression, suicide, and suicidal ideation. 5
(a) The department shall make mental health coverage services and treatment a 6
full focus stream of the veterans' benefits field representative program 7
described in Section 8 of this Act, and ensure that veterans' benefit field 8
representatives help identify all federal and other mental health benefits, 9
coverage, and services available to veterans and their families, including for 10
post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and suicide prevention. 11
(b) The department shall develop and implement a strategy to reduce barriers to 12
access to mental health services and treatment for veterans and their 13
families in coordination with local, state, and federal governmental 14
agencies and in consultation with nonprofits, service providers including 15
Veterans Affairs medical centers and the United States Department of 16
Veterans Affairs, and localities and cities that have effective prevention and 17
treatment systems for mental health, including by: 18
1. Identifying structural and logistical barriers to accessing treatment, 19
including perceived stigma, long travel distances to receive care, and 20
any other barriers, and sending an annual report on such barriers 21
available to the Legislative Research Commission for referral to the 22
Interim Joint Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public 23
Protection, the Interim Joint Committee on Families and Children, 24
and the Interim Joint Committee on Health, and to the Office of the 25
Governor, and making the report available online; 26
2. Resolving all barriers identified in the report in subparagraph 1. of 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1489
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this paragraph that can be resolved without legislative or budgetary 1
action, including through increased coordination between 2
departments, nonprofit providers, and the federal government, 3
application for and use of private and federal grants, and other 4
actions; and 5
3. Reporting annually to the Legislative Research Commission, the 6
Interim Joint Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public 7
Protection, the Interim Joint Committee on Families and Children, 8
and the Interim Joint Committee on Health Services, and to the Office 9
of the Governor, and releasing to the news media any additional 10
legislative or budgetary steps that would resolve barriers identified in 11
subparagraph 1. of this paragraph that have not been resolved by the 12
steps taken under subparagraph 2. of this paragraph. 13
(c) The department shall enhance and strengthen suicide prevention programs 14
that are based on best practices identified by experts in the field of mental 15
health care in coordination with local, state, and federal government 16
agencies, and in consultation with nonprofits, service providers including 17
the Veterans Affairs medical centers and the United States Department of 18
Veterans Affairs, and localities and cities that have effective prevention and 19
treatment systems for mental health, including by: 20
1. Identifying and applying for federal and private grants focused on 21
veteran suicide prevention; 22
2. Coordinating local, state, federal, and nonprofit programs that include 23
community-based approaches for at-risk veterans and veterans at 24
large; 25
3. Providing technical assistance to communities to develop strategic 26
plans to reduce veteran suicide, including through coordination and 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1489
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participation by local leaders, faith communities, schools, workplaces, 1
and other stakeholders; and 2
4. Evaluating community strategic plans within Kentucky and 3
disseminating learnings and best practices to optimize the impact of 4
efforts by all partners and stakeholders. 5
(2) The department shall ensure that resources are available to veterans to assist in 6
connecting veterans to trained mental health care providers, including those 7
trained in veteran suicide prevention. 8
(a) The department shall create a centralized provider database, organized by 9
region, identifying mental health providers with expertise and ability to 10
assist veterans and their families which also identifies which mental health 11
providers have training or expertise in the prevention of veteran suicide and 12
treatment of veteran suicidal ideation. 13
(b) The department shall use existing resources and incorporate best practice 14
and research from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and 15
state and nonprofit service providers in Kentucky to develop a continuing 16
education course for mental health providers in Kentucky to obtain 17
expertise in veteran suicide assessment, prevention, treatment, and risk 18
management. 19
(c) The department shall make the veteran suicide continuing education course 20
described in paragraph (b) of this subsection available for free to providers 21
in regions of the Commonwealth identified in paragraph (a) of this 22
subsection which lack a sufficient number of trained providers. 23
(d) The department shall use existing or appropriated resources to identify 24
evidence-based best practices to increase awareness of any veteran suicide 25
prevention hotline which provides services in-state and other crisis 26
resources with proven effectiveness to reduce veteran suicide. 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1489
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SECTION 11. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 40 IS CREATED TO 1
READ AS FOLLOWS: 2
The Kentucky Department of Veterans' Affairs shall create an initiative designed to 3
end veteran homelessness. 4
(1) As used in this section, "ending veteran homelessness" has the same meaning as 5
in the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Criteria and 6
Benchmarks for Achieving the Goal of Ending Veteran Homelessness. 7
(2) The department shall develop and implement a strategy to meet the goal of ending 8
veteran homelessness within three (3) years of the effective date of this Act in 9
coordination with local, state, and federal government agencies and nonprofits, 10
and in consultation with states and cities that have achieved an end to veteran 11
homelessness in accordance with the criteria described in subsection (1) of this 12
section, including through: 13
(a) Coordinated community outreach and a common assessment tool; 14
(b) A community-wide, comprehensive list of veterans experiencing 15
homelessness, prioritized based on vulnerability; 16
(c) Data-sharing among all relevant providers, government agencies, and 17
Veterans Affairs Medical Centers; 18
(d) Increased coordination and streamlined processes for appropriate housing 19
placements; 20
(e) Connecting veterans experiencing homelessness to health, mental health, 21
employment, and training resources through the services described in this 22
section; 23
(f) A commitment to Housing First principles, as defined by the United States 24
Interagency Council on Homelessness; and 25
(g) Identification of and application for funding as needed from privation, 26
foundation, and other partners. 27