What's happening
This bill creates a Behavioral Health Services for Veterans Advisory Board to study and recommend improvements for veterans' behavioral health services in New York.
Why it matters
Creates a formal mechanism for veterans’ voices. By establishing an advisory board, the bill ensures that veterans’ behavioral health needs are regularly reviewed and that feedback from a diverse group, appointed by multiple political leaders, is systematically gathered and considered.
Promotes cross-agency collaboration. The board is required to work closely with key state agencies—including those overseeing health, mental health, and substance abuse—potentially reducing service gaps and duplications that often hinder effective care for veterans.
Targets actionable improvements. The board is tasked not just with studying existing services but also identifying unmet needs and recommending concrete steps to expand and improve behavioral health offerings, which could directly impact the resources available to veterans.
Sets a clear timeline for accountability. By mandating a report with findings and recommendations by a specified date, the bill creates a deadline for evaluation and encourages timely action, aiming to prevent the issue from being indefinitely studied without resulting in change.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Expand Veterans Mental Health Care
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Print number 5859b
- Amend and recommit to veterans, homeland security and military affairs
- Referred to veterans, homeland security and military affairs
- Print number 5859a
- Amend (t) and recommit to veterans, homeland security and military affairs
- Referred to veterans, homeland security and military affairs
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Support Mental Health for Veterans
In Assembly Committee · Veterans' Affairs · Sponsor Felix Ortiz
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5859--B
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 3, 2017
Introduced by Sen. RITCHIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee -- recommitted to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to enacting the "behavioral health services for veterans act"
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "behavioral health services for veterans act".
§ 2. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 368-a to read as follows:
§ 368-a. Behavioral health services for veterans advisory board. 1. There is hereby established within the division, a behavioral health services for veterans advisory board. Such board shall consist of nine members, three of whom shall be appointed by the governor, two of whom shall be appointed by the temporary president of the senate, two of whom shall be appointed by the speaker of the assembly, one of whom shall be appointed by the minority leader of the senate and one of whom shall be appointed by the minority leader of the assembly. Such members shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority. Vacancies on the board shall be filled in the manner of the original appointment. Members of the board shall receive no compensation for their services but shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.
2. The behavioral health services for veterans advisory board shall study and analyze both the adequacy of existing and the need for new
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08349-04-8
S. 5859--B 2
behavioral health services for veterans. In providing such analysis, the board shall work in cooperation with the division, the office of alcoholism and substance abuse services, the department of health and the department of mental hygiene. The board shall report the findings of such study to the governor and the legislature along with recommendations it deems necessary for expanded and improved behavioral health services on or before October first, two thousand nineteen.
§ 3. This act shall take effect April 1, 2019; provided that effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to enacting the "behavioral health services for veterans act"
Purpose
This bill establishes a behavioral health services for veterans advisory board. The board shall study and analyze both the adequacy of existing and the need for new behavioral health services for veterans.
Summary of provisions
Section 1: Gives the title of the act.
Section 2: Amends the executive law by adding a new section 368 to establish a behavioral health services for veterans advisory board. The board shall study and analyze the adequacy of existing and the need for new behavioral health services for veterans in cooperation with various state departments.
Section 3: States that the act shall take effect on April 1, 2018, provided that the addition, amendment, or repeal of any rule or regu- lation necessary for the implementation of this act is authorized to be made and completed on or before such date.
Justification
The experiences of First Gulf War, Operation Enduring Freedom and Opera- tion Iraqi Freedom have raised national consciousness about the mental health and substance use disorders that afflict veteran and civilian combatants and support personnel.
The length and frequency of deployments, prevalence of concussive inju- ries and inherent stress of military operations have all resulted in high prevalence of post-traumatic stress, major depression and potential traumatic brain injuries.
To say that the behavioral health needs of our veterans are increasing is an understatement; therefore there is a compelling rationale for the Behavioral Health Services for Veterans Act.
Legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
Immediately
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.