EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
Italics indicate opposite chamber/conference committee amendments.
*hb0279*
HOUSE BILL 279
P1 (2lr1252)
ENROLLED BILL
— Health and Government Operations/Education, Health, and Environmental
Affairs —
Introduced by Delegates Rogers, Bartlett, Charles, Crosby, Henson, Hill, R. Jones,
Kaiser, Kerr, Kipke, Love, Patterson, Saab, Sample –Hughes, Szeliga, and
Williams Williams, Bagnall, Belcastro, Bhandari, Carr, Chisholm, Cullison,
Johnson, Kelly, Krebs, Landis, R. Lewis, Morgan, Pena–Melnyk, Reilly,
Rosenberg, and K. Young
Read and Examined by Proofreaders:
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
Sealed with the Great Seal and presented to the Governor, for his approval this
_______ day of _______________ at ________________________ o’clock, ________M.
______________________________________________
Speaker.
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Veterans Affairs – Office of Communications and Public Affairs 2
Communications, Outreach, and Advocacy Program – Veterans Advocacy and 3
Education Act 4
FOR the purpose of altering the name of the Outreach and Advocacy Program in the 5
Department of Veterans Affairs to be the Office of Communications and Public 6
Affairs Communications, Outreach, and Advocacy Program; requiring the Office 7
Program, in collaboration with the Maryland Higher Education Commission, to 8
actively help veterans and their dependents become aware of and access certain 9
benefits; altering certain responsibilities of the director of the Office Program; 10 2 HOUSE BILL 279
repealing a certain requirement that the Department develop and maintain a certain 1
database of veterans in the State; altering certain responsibilities of the Department; 2
altering certain responsibilities of the Office Program; and generally relating to the 3
Office of Communications and Public Affairs Communications, Outreach, and 4
Advocacy Program. 5
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 6
Article – State Government 7
Section 9–940 through 9–940 and 9–942 through 9–944 to be under the amended 8
part “Part V. Office of Communications and Public Affairs Communications, 9
Outreach, and Advocacy Program”; and 9–946 10
Annotated Code of Maryland 11
(2021 Replacement Volume) 12
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 13
Article – State Government 14
Section 9–941 15
Annotated Code of Maryland 16
(2021 Replacement Volume) 17
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 18
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 19
Article – State Government 20
Part V. [Outreach COMMUNICATIONS , OUTREACH, and Advocacy Program] OFFICE 21
OF COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS. 22
9–940. 23
(a) In this part, [“Program”] “OFFICE” means PART, “PROGRAM” MEANS the 24
[Outreach COMMUNICATIONS , OUTREACH, and Advocacy Program] OFFICE OF 25
COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS. 26
(b) There is an A [Outreach COMMUNICATIONS , OUTREACH, and Advocacy 27
Program] OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS in the Department. 28
(c) The purpose of the [Program] OFFICE is to ensure that: 29
(1) veterans are informed of the services, benefits, and assistance available 30
to them from the State and federal government AND COMMUNITY ORGANI ZATIONS; and 31
(2) general issues relating to veterans needs are brought to the attention 32
of the Governor and the General Assembly in order for them to be addressed. 33
9–941. 34 HOUSE BILL 279 3
(a) The Secretary shall appoint a director for the [Program] OFFICE. 1
(b) The director is entitled to the salary provided in the State budget. 2
(c) The director shall administer and coordinate the [Program] OFFICE. 3
9–942. 4
(a) The [Outreach and Advocacy Program] OFFICE shall actively help veterans 5
and their dependents become aware of and access any service or benefit to which they are 6
entitled including: 7
(1) tax benefits; 8
(2) health care benefits; 9
(3) disability benefits; AND 10
(4) pension benefits[; and 11
(5) education]. 12
(B) THE OFFICE PROGRAM, IN COLLABORATION WIT H THE MARYLAND 13
HIGHER EDUCATION COMMISSION, SHALL ACTIVELY HELP VETERANS AND THEIR 14
DEPENDENTS BECOME AW ARE OF AND ACCESS ED UCATION AND TRAINING BENEFITS 15
TO WHICH THEY ARE EN TITLED. 16
[(b)] (C) The director of the [Program] OFFICE shall: 17
(1) support veterans and their dependents through the service or benefit 18
process; and 19
[(2) keep in contact with the appropriate governmental unit as to the status 20
of each claim of a veteran, a veteran’s dependent, or a veteran’s survivor.] 21
(2) REFER VETERANS , VETERANS’ DEPENDENTS , AND VETERANS ’ 22
SURVIVORS TO THE APP ROPRIATE GOVERNMENTA L UNIT FOR CLAIM ASSISTANCE . 23
9–943. 24
(a) (1) For the purposes of reaching any veteran, veteran’s dependent, or 25
veteran’s survivor in need of assistance in obtaining services or benefits granted by the law, 26
the director shall develop and implement [an outreach] A COMMUNICATIONS AND 27
PUBLIC AFFAIRS OUTREACH plan. 28 4 HOUSE BILL 279
(2) In order to carry out the director’s responsibilities under paragraph (1) 1
of this subsection, the director may: 2
(i) enter into contracts; and 3
(ii) work with governmental units and community –based 4
organizations, including the Maryland Department of Health, the Department of Aging, 5
faith–based groups, veterans groups, senior centers, adult day care centers, institutions of 6
higher education, and other entities the director considers appropriate. 7
(b) (1) The director shall develop mechanisms for outreach to be disseminated 8
by direct mail and through community–based veterans organizations, the Department of 9
Veterans Affairs, the Department of Human Services, the Maryland Department of Health, 10
and any other State agency or unit the director considers appropriate. 11
(2) [The mechanisms for outreach] COMMUNICATION MECHANI SMS 12
shall include: 13
(i) [the development of a pamphlet] DESIGNING MARKETING 14
MATERIALS describing the services provided by the [Outreach and Advocacy Program] 15
DEPARTMENT ; 16
(ii) a regular ELECTRONIC newsletter; 17
(iii) brochures describing various benefits or any other issue or 18
benefit of interest to veterans or their dependents; and 19
(iv) other measures the director considers appropriate. 20
(c) The Department shall [develop and maintain a database of veterans in the 21
State] COMMUNICATE WELCOME HOME INFORMATION TO VETERANS RETURNING T O 22
THE STATE. 23
(d) The Department, in conjunction with the types of community –based 24
organizations listed in subsection (a)(2) of this section, shall develop [a survey] 25
COMMUNICATION TOOLS to assist in identifying veterans and dependents who may be 26
eligible for [pension programs] BENEFITS AND PROGRAM S OFFERED BY THE 27
DEPARTMENT . 28
(e) The [Program] OFFICE shall: 29
(1) [in conjunction with other governmental units and community–based 30
groups, seek out veterans and their dependents who may be eligible for pension program 31 HOUSE BILL 279 5
benefits; and] MANAGE THE MARYLAND VETERANS SERVICE ANIMAL PROGRAM AND 1
FUND ESTABL ISHED UNDER PART VIII OF THIS SUBTITLE; 2
(2) [provide wounded or disabled veterans with information on available 3
services and benefits and support in obtaining these services and benefits] COORDINATE 4
THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF VETERANS’ SERVICES SPECIALISTS DESIGNAT ED UNDER 5
§ 9–944 OF THIS SUBTITLE ; AND 6
(3) MANAGE DEPARTMENT MEDIA RELA TIONS, WEB CONTENT , 7
SOCIAL MEDIA, INTERNAL AND EXTERNA L COMMUNICATIONS , CUSTOMER SERVICE 8
TRAINING, AND INTERGOVERNMENTA L RELATIONS. 9
(F) THE DIRECTOR SHALL SE RVE, AS NECESSARY , AS THE SECRETARY’S 10
DESIGNEE TO APPROPRI ATE COMMISSIONS , WORKGROUPS , AND COUNCILS . 11
9–944. 12
(a) In this section, “specialist” means an employee designated by a governmental 13
unit who is responsible for responding to and assisting veterans who are employed by the 14
unit or who contact the unit for assistance. 15
(b) Each governmental unit shall: 16
(1) designate an employee of the unit, who to the extent practicable is a 17
veteran, as a veterans’ services specialist for the unit and whose duties include the 18
coordination of veterans’ services with the Department; 19
(2) provide the Department with any nonprotected or nonprivate 20
information about services the unit provides to veterans; and 21
(3) post on the unit’s website: 22
(i) all services available for veterans from the unit; 23
(ii) the contact information for the unit’s veterans’ services 24
specialist; and 25
(iii) a link to the Department with the contact information for the 26
director of the [Outreach and Advocacy Program in the Department] OFFICE. 27
(c) The veterans’ services specialist shall: 28
(1) coordinate the provision of veterans’ services available through the unit 29
with the Department; and 30
6 HOUSE BILL 279
(2) attend annual training that the Department provides concerning the 1
coordination of veterans’ services. 2
(d) On request for services by a veteran, a governmental unit that does not 3
provide services to veterans shall direct the veteran to contact the Department and provide 4
the veteran with the Department contact information. 5
(e) The Department shall: 6
(1) coordinate a meeting each quarter, or as otherwise necessary, with 7
governmental units to discuss and receive information concerning the implementation of 8
the requirements of this section; and 9
(2) on or before January 15 each year, report on the implementation of the 10
requirements of this section to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of this article, 11
the General Assembly. 12
Part VI. Reporting. 13
9–946. 14
The Secretary shall submit a report by December 31 of each year to the Governor 15
and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of this article, the General Assembly, that includes: 16
(1) the number of: 17
(i) requests for help in obtaining benefits; [and] 18
(ii) [veterans, veterans’ dependents, and veterans’ survivors helped] 19
PUBLIC CONTACTS MADE by the [Outreach and Advocacy Program by category] OFFICE 20
OF COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS BY THE COMMUNICATIONS , 21
OUTREACH, AND ADVOCACY PROGRAM; 22
[(2) the benefits obtained through the Outreach and Advocacy Program by 23
category; 24
(3) the average length of time it takes to process benefit requests and for a 25
recipient to access health benefits;] 26
(III) VETERANS ENROLLED IN THE UNITED STATES VETERANS 27
HEALTH ADMINISTRATION ; AND 28
(IV) VETERANS RECEIVING B ENEFITS; 29
[(4)] (2) the average amount of disability and pension benefits received 30
by qualified individuals in this State compared to individuals in other states; 31 HOUSE BILL 279 7
[(5) a detailed description of the outreach plan in the Outreach and 1
Advocacy Program;] 2
[(6)] (3) an account of the costs of operating the [Outreach 3
COMMUNICATIONS , OUTREACH, and Advocacy Program ] OFFICE OF 4
COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS; 5
[(7)] (4) a status of the accomplishments for, efficacy of, efficiency of, and 6
level of resources available for each of the following programs: 7
(i) cemetery; 8
(ii) memorial; 9
(iii) service; 10
(iv) veterans homes; [and] 11
[(v) outreach COMMUNICATIONS , OUTREACH, and advocacy;] 12
(V) OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS; 13
(VI) MARYLAND VETERANS SERVICE ANIMAL PROGRAM AND 14
FUND; AND 15
(VII) VETERANS’ SERVICES SPECIALISTS ; 16
[(8)] (5) a general assessment of the status of veterans in the State; 17
[(9)] (6) the estimated impact current military operations are likely to 18
have on the needs of veterans in the future; 19
[(10)] (7) the status of federal veterans programs as they relate to 20
Maryland veterans; and 21
[(11)] (8) any other issues concerning veterans that the Secretary 22
considers appropriate. 23
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 24
1, 2022. 25