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1 | AN ACT concerning veterans.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Department of Veterans Affairs Act is | ||||||
5 | amended by changing Section 2 as follows:
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6 | (20 ILCS 2805/2) (from Ch. 126 1/2, par. 67)
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7 | Sec. 2. Powers and duties. | ||||||
8 | (a) The Department shall have the following
powers and | ||||||
9 | duties:
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10 | To perform such acts at the request of any veteran, or his | ||||||
11 | or her spouse,
surviving spouse or dependents as shall be | ||||||
12 | reasonably necessary
or reasonably incident to obtaining or | ||||||
13 | endeavoring to obtain for the requester
any advantage, benefit | ||||||
14 | or emolument accruing or due to such person under
any law of | ||||||
15 | the United States, the State of Illinois or any other state or
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16 | governmental agency by reason of the service of such veteran, | ||||||
17 | and in pursuance
thereof shall:
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18 | (1) Contact veterans, their survivors and dependents | ||||||
19 | and advise them of
the benefits of state and federal laws | ||||||
20 | and assist them in obtaining such
benefits;
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21 | (2) Establish field offices and direct the activities | ||||||
22 | of the personnel
assigned to such offices;
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23 | (3) Create a volunteer field force of accredited |
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1 | representatives,
representing educational institutions, | ||||||
2 | labor organizations, veterans
organizations, employers, | ||||||
3 | churches, and farm organizations;
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4 | (4) Conduct informational and training services;
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5 | (5) Conduct educational programs through newspapers, | ||||||
6 | periodicals and radio
for the specific purpose of | ||||||
7 | disseminating information affecting veterans
and their | ||||||
8 | dependents;
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9 | (6) Coordinate the services and activities of all state | ||||||
10 | departments having
services and resources affecting | ||||||
11 | veterans and their dependents;
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12 | (7) Encourage and assist in the coordination of | ||||||
13 | agencies within counties
giving service to veterans and | ||||||
14 | their dependents;
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15 | (8) Cooperate with veterans organizations and other | ||||||
16 | governmental agencies;
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17 | (9) Make, alter, amend and promulgate reasonable rules | ||||||
18 | and procedures for
the administration of this Act;
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19 | (10) Make and publish annual reports to the Governor | ||||||
20 | regarding the
administration and general operation of the | ||||||
21 | Department;
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22 | (11) Encourage the State to implement more programs to | ||||||
23 | address the wide
range of issues faced by Persian Gulf War | ||||||
24 | Veterans, especially those who took
part in combat, by | ||||||
25 | creating an official commission to further study Persian
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26 | Gulf War Diseases.
The commission shall consist of 9 |
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1 | members appointed as follows: the Speaker
and Minority | ||||||
2 | Leader of the House of Representatives and the President | ||||||
3 | and
Minority Leader of the Senate shall each appoint one | ||||||
4 | member from the General
Assembly, the
Governor shall | ||||||
5 | appoint 4 members to represent veterans' organizations, | ||||||
6 | and the
Department shall appoint one member. The commission | ||||||
7 | members shall serve
without compensation; and | ||||||
8 | (12) Conduct an annual review of the benefits received
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9 | by Illinois veterans that compares benefits received by | ||||||
10 | Illinois
veterans with the benefits received by veterans in | ||||||
11 | all other
states and U.S. territories. The required annual | ||||||
12 | review shall include,
but not be limited to, (1) the | ||||||
13 | average benefit paid to individual
veterans from Illinois, | ||||||
14 | in direct comparison to the average benefit
paid to | ||||||
15 | individual veterans of each of the other states and U.S.
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16 | territories; (2) the number of veterans receiving benefits | ||||||
17 | in Illinois
for the first time during the year compared to | ||||||
18 | the number of claims
filed by Illinois veterans during the | ||||||
19 | year; (3) the aggregate number
of Illinois veterans | ||||||
20 | receiving benefits compared to the number
of veterans from | ||||||
21 | each of the other states and U.S. territories
receiving | ||||||
22 | benefits; and (4) a categorical analysis of the types
of | ||||||
23 | injuries and disabilities for which benefits are being paid
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24 | in Illinois and each of the other states and U.S. | ||||||
25 | territories.
The benefits review shall be reported to the | ||||||
26 | Governor, the
General Assembly, and the Illinois |
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1 | Congressional delegation upon
the completion of the report | ||||||
2 | each year.
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3 | (b) The Department shall create and administer a suicide | ||||||
4 | prevention program for veterans of the armed forces, including | ||||||
5 | redeployed veterans of the Illinois National Guard. The program | ||||||
6 | shall become operational within 100 days after the effective | ||||||
7 | date of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly. The | ||||||
8 | program's primary goal shall be to address and reduce the | ||||||
9 | incidence of suicide and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) | ||||||
10 | among veterans of the military and the National Guard | ||||||
11 | (hereinafter, "veterans"). | ||||||
12 | The program shall provide
the following: | ||||||
13 | (1) Public education and awareness programs directed | ||||||
14 | at veterans, the families of veterans, health care | ||||||
15 | professionals, mental health professionals, and the | ||||||
16 | public, focusing on recognizing the signs, symptoms, and | ||||||
17 | behavioral patterns of those at risk of committing suicide | ||||||
18 | and those suffering from PTSD. | ||||||
19 | (2) Psychiatric, psychological, or other appropriate | ||||||
20 | mental health care services to veterans at risk of suicide. | ||||||
21 | (3) Referral services to appropriate mental health | ||||||
22 | care services for veterans afflicted by PTSD. | ||||||
23 | (4) Any other services the Director of the Department | ||||||
24 | deems appropriate for addressing and reducing the | ||||||
25 | incidence of suicide and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder | ||||||
26 | among veterans. |
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1 | The Director of the Department shall submit an annual | ||||||
2 | report to the members of the General Assembly no later than | ||||||
3 | June 15 of each year, outlining the program's activities from | ||||||
4 | the preceding year. | ||||||
5 | The Department of Military Affairs shall disseminate | ||||||
6 | information regarding the suicide prevention program | ||||||
7 | established pursuant to this subsection to all redeployed | ||||||
8 | members of the Illinois National Guard within 72 hours after | ||||||
9 | their redeployment.
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10 | (c) The Department may accept and hold on behalf of the | ||||||
11 | State, if for the
public interest, a grant, gift, devise or | ||||||
12 | bequest of money or property to
the Department made for the | ||||||
13 | general benefit of Illinois veterans,
including the conduct of | ||||||
14 | informational and training services by the Department
and other | ||||||
15 | authorized purposes of the Department. The Department shall | ||||||
16 | cause
each grant, gift, devise or bequest to be kept as a | ||||||
17 | distinct fund and shall
invest such funds in the manner | ||||||
18 | provided by the Public Funds Investment Act, as
now or | ||||||
19 | hereafter amended, and shall make such reports as may
be | ||||||
20 | required by the Comptroller concerning what funds are so held | ||||||
21 | and
the manner in which such funds are invested.
The Department | ||||||
22 | may make grants from these funds for the general benefit of
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23 | Illinois veterans. Grants from these funds, except for the | ||||||
24 | funds established
under Sections 2.01a and 2.03, shall be | ||||||
25 | subject to appropriation.
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26 | (d) The Department has the power to make grants, from funds |
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1 | appropriated from
the
Korean War Veterans National Museum and | ||||||
2 | Library Fund, to private organizations
for the benefit of the | ||||||
3 | Korean War Veterans National Museum and Library.
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4 | (e) The Department has the power to make grants, from funds | ||||||
5 | appropriated from the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund, for | ||||||
6 | benefits authorized under the Survivors Compensation Act.
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7 | (Source: P.A. 93-839, eff. 7-30-04; 94-167, eff. 1-1-06.)
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