83R9127 MMC-F
By: Menendez, Moody H.B. No. 3543
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to training, certification, and accreditation provided or
regulated by the Texas Veterans Commission.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Sections 434.038(d) and (e), Government Code,
are amended to read as follows:
(d) The commission shall develop standard course materials,
training curriculum, and examinations to be used for county service
officer certification and United States Department of Veterans
Affairs accreditation. [The members of the commission must approve
the course materials, training curriculum, and examinations before
the commission may distribute the materials and administer
examinations.]
(e) The commission shall:
(1) maintain course materials and examinations in a
central location and provide county service offices and commission
field staff with access to the course materials on the commission's
Internet website;
(2) regularly update course materials, training
curriculum, and examinations after consulting with:
(A) the United States Department of Veterans
Affairs to ensure the course materials, training curriculum, and
examinations are accurate and meet applicable United States
Department of Veterans Affairs requirements; and
(B) accredited county service officers to ensure
the materials, training curriculum, and examinations include
issues developing at the county level; [and]
(3) develop a training handbook containing
instruction and case studies addressing:
(A) general assistance techniques, including how
to provide general information regarding state and federal benefits
and referrals for other services and to other agencies, and general
information regarding state and federal benefits;
(B) basic counseling approaches for assisting
veterans, their family members, and other eligible dependents
filing benefit claims;
(C) basic information on United States
Department of Veterans Affairs processes and procedures, including
how to accurately complete claims and appeals forms and how to
support claims;
(D) methods of collecting required documentation
and developing claims and appeals;
(E) methods of documenting progress and updating
a veteran's, a veteran's family member's, or another eligible
dependent's case information;
(F) methods of assisting veterans, their family
members, or other eligible dependents in pursuing appeals,
including offering case knowledge in appeals hearings; and
(G) methods of representing veterans, their
family members, or other eligible dependents during appeals
hearings; and
(4) coordinate with the Department of State Health
Services to incorporate a suicide prevention component as part of
the accreditation training and examination.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013.