SENATE MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS
COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
SENATE, No. 3504
with committee amendments
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: OCTOBER 21, 2024
The Senate Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee reports
favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 3504.
As amended by the committee, this bill establishes the Office of
the Veteran Advocate in, but not of, the Department of Military and
Veterans Affairs (DMVA). If a Department of Veterans Services is
established, the Office of the Veteran Advocate will be transferred to
be in, but not of, the Department of Veterans Services. The bill
provides that the Veteran Advocate would seek to ensure the provision
of effective, appropriate, and timely services for veterans and address
abuse and neglect of veterans under State supervision.
The Veteran Advocate is to be appointed by the Governor with the
advice and consent of the Senate. The Veteran Advocate will be
appointed for no more than two five-year terms. The Veteran
Advocate will be paid a salary of not less than $150,000 per year. The
Veteran Advocate may be removed from office for cause by the
Governor.
The Veteran Advocate will have a wide variety of duties regarding
investigating and reporting on the operations and policies of State,
county, and local veterans’ facilities. The investigatory and reporting
duties will address any instances of veteran abuse and neglect. The
Veteran Advocate may conduct site visits to the various facilities
under the office’s jurisdiction and may consult with other public
entities which are directed to provide cooperation and assistance to the
Veteran Advocate. The Veteran Advocate may hold a public hearing
and receive testimony from agency and program representatives, the
public, and other interested parties. The Veteran Advocate may also
establish and maintain a 24-hour toll-free telephone hotline to receive
and respond to calls from members of the public referring concerns to
the office. In instances of formal investigations on specific matters,
the Veteran Advocate may also issue subpoenas to compel the
attendance and testimony of witnesses or the production of books,
papers, and other documents, and administer oaths to witnesses.
The Veteran Advocate will also serve as an ombudsman for
veterans and their families by investigating complaints from veterans 2
and family members of veterans in this State regarding issues with
veteran’s services provided by any State entity or any private entity
that receives State funding for providing veteran’s services.
Additionally, the Veteran Advocate may intervene in or institute
litigation, including appearing in the capacity of an amicus curiae, and
may intervene in or institute administrative proceedings before the
DMVA to assert the broad public interest of the State in the welfare of
veterans and to protect and promote the rights of veterans.
If the Veteran Advocate finds a systemic problem in how the State
protects veterans, the Veteran Advocate will meet with the DMVA to
discuss the problem and identify possible solutions. The Veteran
Advocate will then provide its findings and recommendations in
writing to the affected agency. The findings and recommendations are
to be made available to the public. The department is then required to
develop a corrective action plan in response to the findings and
declarations within 30 days of receipt and submit it to the
commissioner of the relevant department and the Veteran Advocate.
The Veteran Advocate will monitor the facility’s implementation of its
corrective action plan and will review the required periodic reporting
by the facility.
The Veteran Advocate will submit an annual report to the
Governor, the Legislature, and the head of the DMVA, which will also
be made available to the public and will be posted on the DMVA
website. The annual report will include the activities of the office,
priorities for veteran’s services that have been identified by the
Veteran Advocate, and recommendations for improvement or
necessary changes concerning the variety of services to veterans who
are at risk of abuse or neglect and are in State custody.
There is an appropriation made from the General Fund to
implement the contents of this bill.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS :
The committee amended the bill to: add a definition of veteran;
clarify that the bill’s covered services will be provided to veterans
regardless of whether the veteran lives in a veterans’ facility; clarifies
that the term “veterans’ facility” includes Veterans Haven North and
Veterans Haven South; specify that if an investigation involves a union
employee, the collective bargaining agreement will govern the
investigatory process; and require the Veteran Advocate to
periodically meet with veteran advocacy groups.