What's happening
This bill expands benefits and health information for veterans and requires reporting of veterans' military backgrounds in correctional facilities.
Why it matters
Expands the scope of health information provided to veterans and their families. , including children, about a broader range of military-related health issues—such as spina bifida, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injuries, and other brain-related injuries—which could improve awareness, early intervention, and access to care.
Strengthens the support network for veterans and their families. by ensuring that health care providers are better informed of the unique physical and mental health risks faced by veterans, potentially leading to more accurate diagnoses and tailored treatments.
Mandates correctional facilities to collect and report data on inmates’ military service backgrounds. , which could inform the development of specialized support, rehabilitation, or mental health programs for incarcerated veterans, help identify possible links between military service and incarceration, and guide policy decisions for veteran-focused interventions.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Share Health Info With Veterans’ Kids
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Signed chap.485
- Delivered to governor
- Returned to senate
- Passed assembly
- Ordered to third reading cal.39
- Substituted for A1804
- Referred to veterans' affairs
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 55–6
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.56
Show 1 earlier action
- 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.
Expand Veterans Health Info Access
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Charles Lavine
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2377
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 24, 2019
Introduced by Sen. HOYLMAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to providing certain benefits to veterans; and to amend the correction law, in relation to requiring certain reports relating to veterans
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 3803 of the public health law, as amended by chapter 743 of the laws of 2006, is amended to read as follows:
1. There is hereby created within the department the veterans health care information program (referred to in this section as the "program"), which shall provide information on health issues associated with military duty, including but not limited to Agent Orange, spina bifida, Gulf War Syndromes, toxic materials or harmful physical agents such as, depleted uranium, and hepatitis C, and specific mental and physical health issues including post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and other brain-related injuries, for veterans, their surviving spouses, children of veterans and health care providers.
§ 2. Subdivision 1 of section 29 of the correction law, as amended by section 12 of subpart A of part C of chapter 62 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows:
1. The department shall continue to collect, maintain, and analyze statistical and other information and data with respect to persons subject to the jurisdiction of the department, including but not limited to: (a) the number of such persons: placed in the custody of the department, assigned to a specific department program, accorded community supervision and declared delinquent, recommitted to a state correctional institution upon revocation of community supervision, or discharged upon maximum expiration of sentence; (b) the criminal history of such
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03275-01-9
S. 2377 2
persons; (c) the social, educational, and vocational circumstances of any such persons; [and,] (d) the institutional and community supervision programs and the behavior of such persons; and, (e) the military background and circumstances, if such person served in the United States armed forces. Provided, however, in the event any statistical information on the ethnic background of the inmate population of a correctional facility or facilities is collected by the department, such statistical information shall contain, but not be limited to, the following ethnic categories: (i) Caucasian; (ii) Asian; (iii) American Indian; (iv) Afro-American/Black; and (v) Spanish speaking/Hispanic which category shall include, but not be limited to, the following subcategories consisting of: (1) Puerto Ricans; (2) Cubans; (3) Dominicans; and (4) other Hispanic nationalities.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law. 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 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 public health law, in relation to providing certain benefits to veterans; and to amend the correction law, in relation to requiring certain reports relating to veterans
Purpose
To collect and provide information on various important aspects of the lives of this State's veterans.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1 amends the Veterans Health Care Information Program in the New York State Department of Health to provide information to the children of veterans.
Section 2 amends current law to include among the current data required under law, the military background and circumstances; if such person served in the United States armed forces.
Justification
Current deployments involve long, dangerous and repeated tours of duty, with our citizen soldiers and their families performing above and beyond the call of duty. This bill will serve to assist veterans and their families by helping to determine the numbers in need and by providing information on health programs to the children of veterans.
Legislative history
2018: S .0048-A (Hoylman) - Passed Senate 2017: S .0048 (Hoylman) - Died in Veterans, Homeland Security and Mili- tary Affairs 2016: S .8057 (Hoylman) - Died in Rules
Fiscal implications
Minimal
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law; provided, that any rules and regulations neces- sary for the timely implementation of this act on its effective date shall be promulgated on or before such date.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.