Texas 2013 - 83rd Regular

Texas House Bill HB3543 Compare Versions

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Old	New	Differences
1	1	83R9127 MMC-F
2	2	By: Menendez, Moody H.B. No. 3543
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to training, certification, and accreditation provided or
8	8	regulated by the Texas Veterans Commission.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Sections 434.038(d) and (e), Government Code,
11	11	are amended to read as follows:
12	12	(d) The commission shall develop standard course materials,
13	13	training curriculum, and examinations to be used for county service
14	14	officer certification and United States Department of Veterans
15	15	Affairs accreditation. [The members of the commission must approve
16	16	the course materials, training curriculum, and examinations before
17	17	the commission may distribute the materials and administer
18	18	examinations.]
19	19	(e) The commission shall:
20	20	(1) maintain course materials and examinations in a
21	21	central location and provide county service offices and commission
22	22	field staff with access to the course materials on the commission's
23	23	Internet website;
24	24	(2) regularly update course materials, training
25	25	curriculum, and examinations after consulting with:
26	26	(A) the United States Department of Veterans
27	27	Affairs to ensure the course materials, training curriculum, and
28	28	examinations are accurate and meet applicable United States
29	29	Department of Veterans Affairs requirements; and
30	30	(B) accredited county service officers to ensure
31	31	the materials, training curriculum, and examinations include
32	32	issues developing at the county level; [and]
33	33	(3) develop a training handbook containing
34	34	instruction and case studies addressing:
35	35	(A) general assistance techniques, including how
36	36	to provide general information regarding state and federal benefits
37	37	and referrals for other services and to other agencies, and general
38	38	information regarding state and federal benefits;
39	39	(B) basic counseling approaches for assisting
40	40	veterans, their family members, and other eligible dependents
41	41	filing benefit claims;
42	42	(C) basic information on United States
43	43	Department of Veterans Affairs processes and procedures, including
44	44	how to accurately complete claims and appeals forms and how to
45	45	support claims;
46	46	(D) methods of collecting required documentation
47	47	and developing claims and appeals;
48	48	(E) methods of documenting progress and updating
49	49	a veteran's, a veteran's family member's, or another eligible
50	50	dependent's case information;
51	51	(F) methods of assisting veterans, their family
52	52	members, or other eligible dependents in pursuing appeals,
53	53	including offering case knowledge in appeals hearings; and
54	54	(G) methods of representing veterans, their
55	55	family members, or other eligible dependents during appeals
56	56	hearings; and
57	57	(4) coordinate with the Department of State Health
58	58	Services to incorporate a suicide prevention component as part of
59	59	the accreditation training and examination.
60	60	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013.