Bill Text: CA AB1509 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Chaptered

California Assembly Bill 1509 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Veterans: transition assistance.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-2)

Status: (Passed) 2014-09-27 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 647, Statutes of 2014. [AB1509 Detail]

Download: California-2013-AB1509-Chaptered.html

BILL NUMBER: AB 1509	CHAPTERED
	BILL TEXT

	CHAPTER  647
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE  SEPTEMBER 27, 2014
	APPROVED BY GOVERNOR  SEPTEMBER 27, 2014
	PASSED THE SENATE  AUGUST 21, 2014
	PASSED THE ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 25, 2014
	AMENDED IN SENATE  AUGUST 19, 2014
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 25, 2014

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Fox
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members Brown, Chesbro, Quirk-Silva,
Wieckowski, and Yamada)
   (Coauthors: Senators Berryhill and Cannella)

                        JANUARY 14, 2014

   An act to add Section 90 to the Military and Veterans Code,
relating to veterans.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1509, Fox. Veterans: transition assistance.
   Existing law establishes the Department of Veterans Affairs, which
is responsible for administering various programs and services for
the benefit of veterans.
   This bill would require, by July 1, 2015, the Department of
Veterans Affairs to develop a transition assistance program for
veterans who have been discharged from the Armed Forces of the United
States or the National Guard of any state, as specified. The bill
would require the program to include certain California-specific
transition assistance information.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  The Legislature finds and declares the following:
   (a) California veterans should receive ample information and
resources to assist their transition into civilian life. Though
California is home to nearly 1.9 million veterans, California
veterans utilize fewer benefits than their peers at the national
level. Further, 50 percent of post-9/11 veterans experience
difficulty transitioning to civilian life and are experiencing higher
rates of disabilities than previous generations of veterans. Young
post-9/11 veterans also experience higher unemployment rates than
their civilian counterparts.
   (b) The federal Transition Goals, Plans and Success (TGPS)
program, formerly known as the Transition Assistance Program, was
created in 1990 to inform and assist veterans in understanding their
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits. However, TGPS workshops
provide information specific to the state where a veteran is
immediately ending his or her service and not to the location of
permanent residence. Veterans who were planning to move to California
after their service do not receive information about how to best
coordinate their VA benefits with existing California benefits. A
California-specific transition assistance program would ensure that
all veterans residing in California receive the resources and
information they need to successfully transition into civilian life.
   (c) It is the intent of the Legislature that the Department of
Veterans Affairs utilize its existing personnel and other resources,
including its existing CalVet Internet Web site, to disseminate
California-specific transition assistance information developed
pursuant to Section 90 of the Military and Veterans Code, as added by
Section 2 of this act. It is also the intent of the Legislature that
the Department of Veterans Affairs utilize the work and research
produced by the California Interagency Council on Veterans Employment
CAL TAP Sub-Workgroup.
  SEC. 2.  Section 90 is added to the Military and Veterans Code, to
read:
   90.  By July 1, 2015, the department shall develop a transition
assistance program for veterans who have been discharged from the
Armed Forces of the United States or the National Guard of any state.
The program shall be designed to assist veterans in successfully
transitioning from military to civilian life in California and to
complement the transition program offered by the United States
Department of Defense. The program shall include, but shall not be
limited to, the following California-specific transition assistance
information: higher education benefits and program information,
vocational training assistance, small business resources and
information, health care programs and services, mental health
resources and information, military sexual trauma (MST) resources and
information, and housing information.