85R18280 MTB-D
By: Guillen H.B. No. 2154
Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2154:
By: Gutierrez C.S.H.B. No. 2154
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to required training for veterans county service officers
and assistant veterans county service officers.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Sections 434.038(a), (b), (c), and (e),
Government Code, are amended to read as follows:
(a) An officer shall, within the time after the date of the
officer's appointment that the commission prescribes, complete a
course of initial training provided by the Texas Veterans
Commission or approved under Subsection (e)(5). The commission
shall issue the officer a certificate of training after completion
of all [the] initial training requirements established by the
commission under this section [course]. To maintain
certification, the officer shall complete continuing training [to
the extent] required by the commission that is approved under
Subsection (e)(5) or provided by the commission. An officer must
maintain certification to remain in office.
(b) The commission may [shall] provide, at commission
expense, the initial and continuing training required by this
section at least once each year. If state funds are appropriated for
that purpose, the commission shall reimburse an officer's travel
and lodging expenses incurred in attending training provided by the
commission. The commission shall make the reimbursement in the
manner prescribed for the reimbursement of these expenses to state
employees.
(c) The commissioners court of an officer's county shall
reimburse an officer's travel and lodging expenses incurred in
attending [commission] training required under this section that is
approved under Subsection (e)(5) [unless state funds are
appropriated for that purpose. If state funds are appropriated,
the commission shall make the reimbursement in the manner
prescribed for the reimbursement of these expenses to state
employees].
(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;
(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; and
(5) approve training provided by public or private
entities to fulfill initial and continuing training requirements
established by the commission under this section.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.