STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7706 IN SENATE January 7, 2022 ___________ Introduced by Sen. HARCKHAM -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules AN ACT to amend the executive law and the public health law, in relation to veteran access to certain benefits The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 368-a of the executive law, as added by a chapter 2 of the laws of 2021 amending the executive law and the public health law 3 relating to certain questions regarding veterans on intake forms for 4 admission and residency, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 5 2977-A and A. 6100-A, is amended to read as follows: 6 § 368-a. Intake forms for admission and residency. 1. The division, in 7 cooperation with the office of temporary and disability assistance[~~, the~~ 8 ~~office of mental health~~] and any other state department, office, divi- 9 sion or agency the division deems necessary, shall require that all 10 intake forms for admission or residency to any [~~homeless~~] temporary 11 shelter that is reimbursed from state or state-administered grants or 12 funds shall ask an applicant [~~on their intake forms~~]: "Have you or 13 anyone in your household ever [~~served~~] been in the United States mili- 14 tary?". [~~Such homeless shelter~~] Each social services district or social 15 services district's designee shall in writing advise all individuals 16 applying for temporary housing assistance and identifying themselves as 17 having [~~served~~] been in the United States military that the division of 18 veterans' services and local veterans' service agencies established 19 pursuant to section three hundred fifty-seven of this article provide 20 assistance to veterans regarding benefits available under federal and 21 state law. Such written information shall include the name, address and 22 telephone number of the New York state division of veterans' services, 23 the nearest division of veterans' services office, the nearest county or 24 city veterans' service agency and the nearest accredited veterans' 25 service officer. [~~Every homeless shelter~~] Each social services district 26 or social services district's designee, with the permission of such 27 individual's identifying themself as a veteran, shall transmit such 28 veteran's status information to the division of veterans' services. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD01922-04-2

S. 7706 2 1 2. The division, in cooperation with the office of temporary and disa- 2 bility assistance and any other state department, office, division or 3 agency the division deems necessary, shall encourage all other temporary 4 shelter providers to share information to increase veteran access to 5 benefits by: 6 (a) providing information on the division website including: 7 (i) potential questions for inclusion on intake forms including, but 8 not limited to: "Have you or anyone in your household ever been in the 9 United States military?"; 10 (ii) advising such providers that all individuals identifying them- 11 selves as having been in the United States military that the division 12 and local veterans' service agencies provide assistance to veterans 13 regarding benefits available under federal and state law; and 14 (iii) the address and telephone number of the division, county and 15 city veterans' service agencies and accredited veterans' service offi- 16 cers; and 17 (b) facilitating the transmission of such veteran's status informa- 18 tion, with the permission of individuals identifying themselves as a 19 veteran, to the division. 20 § 2. Section 2805-o of the public health law, as amended by a chapter 21 of the laws of 2021 amending the executive law and the public health law 22 relating to certain questions regarding veterans on intake forms for 23 admission and residency, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 24 2977-A and A. 6100-A, is amended to read as follows: 25 § 2805-o. Identification of veterans and their spouses by nursing 26 homes, residential health care facilities, and [~~assisted living resi-~~ 27 ~~dences~~] adult care facilities. 1. Every nursing home and residential 28 health care facility as defined in subdivisions two and three of section 29 two thousand eight hundred one of this article and [~~assisted living~~ 30 ~~residences as defined in section forty-six hundred fifty-one of this~~ 31 ~~chapter~~] every adult care facility licensed and certified by the depart- 32 ment pursuant to title two of article seven of the social services law 33 or article forty-six-B of this chapter, including all adult homes, 34 enriched housing programs, residences for adults, assisted living 35 programs, and assisted living residences shall keep and maintain accu- 36 rate records identifying veterans and their spouses residing within such 37 facilities. Such information shall be solicited by nursing home and/or 38 residential health care facility staff upon a patient's admission, noted 39 on the admission form, and included with the patient's file by asking 40 the question "Have you or your spouse ever served in the United States 41 military?". In the case of patients currently residing at such nursing 42 homes or residential health care facilities, staff shall solicit such 43 information by asking the question "Have you or your spouse ever served 44 in the United States military?" from each patient residing at such 45 institution and update the patient's file to indicate veteran status. 46 2. Every nursing home, residential health care facility and [~~assisted~~ 47 ~~living residences~~] every adult care facility licensed and certified by 48 the department pursuant to title two of article seven of the social 49 services law or article forty-six-B of this chapter, including all adult 50 homes, enriched housing programs, residences for adults, assisted living 51 programs, and assisted living residences shall in writing advise all 52 individuals identifying themselves as veterans or spouses of veterans 53 that the division of veterans' services and local veterans' service 54 agencies established pursuant to section three hundred fifty-seven of 55 the executive law to provide assistance to veterans and their spouses 56 regarding benefits under federal and state law. Such written information

S. 7706 3 1 shall include the name, address and telephone number of the New York 2 state division of veterans' services, the nearest division of veterans' 3 services office, the nearest county or city veterans' service agency and 4 the nearest accredited veterans' service officer. 5 3. Every nursing home, residential health care facility and [~~assisted~~ 6 ~~living residence~~] every adult care facility licensed and certified by 7 the department pursuant to title two of article seven of the social 8 services law or article forty-six-B of this chapter, including all adult 9 homes, enriched housing programs, residences for adults, assisted living 10 programs, and assisted living residences, with the permission of indi- 11 viduals identifying themselves as veterans or spouses of veterans, shall 12 transmit such veteran status information to the division of veterans' 13 services. 14 4. Any person who violates the provisions of this section shall be 15 subject to a civil fine not to exceed fifty dollars per violation but in 16 no event shall any fine exceed one thousand dollars. 17 § 3. This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same 18 manner as a chapter of the laws of 2021 amending the executive law and 19 the public health law relating to certain questions regarding veterans 20 on intake forms for admission and residency, as proposed in legislative 21 bills numbers S. 2977-A and A. 6100-A, takes effect.

Relates to veteran access to certain benefits

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