Bill Text: NY A06516 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Introduced

New York Assembly Bill 6516 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Establishes a peer support program for veterans.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2014-06-09 - REFERRED TO VETERANS, HOMELAND SECURITY AND MILITARY AFFAIRS [A06516 Detail]

Download: New_York-2013-A06516-Introduced.html

                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         6516
                              2013-2014 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                     April 4, 2013
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by M. of A. ORTIZ -- read once and referred to the Committee
         on Veterans' Affairs
       AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation  to  establishing  a
         peer support program for veterans
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a  new  section
    2  7.42 to read as follows:
    3  S 7.42 PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM FOR VETERANS.
    4    (A)  FOR  THE PURPOSE OF THIS SECTION THE TERM "PEER SUPPORT SERVICES"
    5  SHALL MEAN ANY SERVICE DESIGNATED BY THE OFFICE USED  IN  THE  TREATMENT
    6  AND  RECOVERY  OF MENTAL ILLNESS, ALCOHOL ABUSE, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, AND/OR
    7  CHEMICAL DEPENDENCE THAT IS DELIVERED BY A CERTIFIED PEER COUNSELOR; AND
    8  THE TERM "CERTIFIED  PEER  COUNSELOR"  SHALL  MEAN  AN  INDIVIDUAL  WITH
    9  PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AS A MENTAL HEALTH RECIPIENT AND/OR AN INDIVIDUAL IN
   10  RECOVERY  FROM  ALCOHOL  ABUSE, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, AND/OR CHEMICAL DEPEND-
   11  ENCE, WHO HAS SERVED IN THE ACTIVE MILITARY  OR  NAVAL  SERVICE  OF  THE
   12  UNITED  STATES AND HAS BEEN RELEASED FROM SUCH SERVICE OTHERWISE THAN BY
   13  DISHONORABLE DISCHARGE AND AS DOCUMENTED BY HIS OR HER DISCHARGE  PAPERS
   14  OR WHO HAS BEEN FURLOUGHED TO THE RESERVE COMPONENTS OF THE ARMED FORCES
   15  OF  THE UNITED STATES WHO HAS TRAINING, CREDENTIALS OR EXPERIENCE RECOG-
   16  NIZED BY THE OFFICE.
   17    (B) NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF LAW TO  THE  CONTRARY,  THE
   18  COMMISSIONER,  IN  CONJUNCTION  WITH  THE COMMISSIONER OF ALCOHOLISM AND
   19  SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES, AND THE STATE  DIRECTOR  OF  THE  DIVISION  OF
   20  VETERANS'  AFFAIRS SHALL DEVELOP AND ESTABLISH A MINIMUM OF TWO REGIONAL
   21  PEER SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAMS FOR VETERANS. SERVICES  PROVIDED  BY  THE
   22  PEER SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, PEER
   23  COUNSELING  FOR MENTAL ILLNESS INCLUDING POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER,
   24  ALCOHOL  AND  SUBSTANCE  ABUSE  COUNSELING,  INFORMATION  ON  ACCESS  TO
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD09513-01-3
       A. 6516                             2
    1  SERVICES,  FAMILY  SUPPORT  SERVICES,  AND WHERE APPLICABLE, SPECIALIZED
    2  SERVICES FOR FEMALE VETERANS.
    3    (C)  THE  COMMISSIONER,  IN  CONJUNCTION  WITH THE COMMISSIONER OF THE
    4  OFFICE OF ALCOHOLISM AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES AND THE STATE DIRECTOR
    5  OF THE DIVISION OF VETERANS'  AFFAIRS  SHALL  FOSTER  PROGRAMS  FOR  THE
    6  TRAINING  AND  DEVELOPMENT  OF PERSONS CAPABLE OF PROVIDING THE SERVICES
    7  SET FORTH IN THIS SECTION, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, A  PROCESS  OF
    8  ISSUING,  EITHER DIRECTLY OR THROUGH CONTRACT, CREDENTIALS FOR CERTIFIED
    9  PEER COUNSELORS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FOLLOWING:
   10    1. THE OFFICE SHALL ESTABLISH  MINIMUM  QUALIFICATIONS  FOR  CERTIFIED
   11  PEER  COUNSELORS  IN  ALL PHASES OF DELIVERY OF SERVICES TO VETERANS WHO
   12  ARE SUFFERING FROM ANY OR  A  COMBINATION  OF  THE  FOLLOWING:    MENTAL
   13  ILLNESS, ALCOHOL ABUSE, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, AND/OR CHEMICAL DEPENDENCE THAT
   14  SHALL  INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, COMPLETION OF APPROVED COURSES OF
   15  STUDY OR EQUIVALENT ON-THE-JOB EXPERIENCE IN  MENTAL  HEALTH  COUNSELING
   16  AND/OR ALCOHOLISM AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNSELING; AND
   17    2.  THE  OFFICE  SHALL  ESTABLISH  PROCEDURES FOR ISSUING, DIRECTLY OR
   18  THROUGH CONTRACT, CREDENTIALS TO  CERTIFIED  PEER  COUNSELORS  WHO  MEET
   19  MINIMUM  QUALIFICATIONS,  AND  SHALL  FURTHER  ESTABLISH  PROCEDURES  TO
   20  SUSPEND, REVOKE, OR ANNUL SUCH CREDENTIALS FOR GOOD CAUSE.
   21    S 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth  day  after  it  shall
   22  have  become  a  law; provided, however, that effective immediately, the
   23  addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule  or  regulation  necessary
   24  for  the  implementation of this act on its effective date is authorized
   25  and directed to be made and completed on or before such effective date.