By: Van de Putte, et al. S.B. No. 846
 
  (Menendez, Moody)
 
   
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to training, certification, and accreditation provided or
  regulated by the Texas Veterans Commission.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subsections (d) and (e), Section 434.038,
  Government Code, are amended to read as follows:
         (d)  The commission shall develop standard course materials,
  training curriculum, and examinations to be used for county service
  officer certification and United States Department of Veterans
  Affairs accreditation.  [The members of the commission must approve
  the course materials, training curriculum, and examinations before
  the commission may distribute the materials and administer
  examinations.]
         (e)  The commission shall:
               (1)  maintain course materials and examinations in a
  central location and provide county service offices and commission
  field staff with access to the course materials on the commission's
  Internet website;
               (2)  regularly update course materials, training
  curriculum, and examinations after consulting with:
                     (A)  the United States Department of Veterans
  Affairs to ensure the course materials, training curriculum, and
  examinations are accurate and meet applicable United States
  Department of Veterans Affairs requirements; and
                     (B)  accredited county service officers to ensure
  the materials, training curriculum, and examinations include
  issues developing at the county level; [and]
               (3)  develop a training handbook containing
  instruction and case studies addressing:
                     (A)  general assistance techniques, including how
  to provide general information regarding state and federal benefits
  and referrals for other services and to other agencies, and general
  information regarding state and federal benefits;
                     (B)  basic counseling approaches for assisting
  veterans, their family members, and other eligible dependents
  filing benefit claims;
                     (C)  basic information on United States
  Department of Veterans Affairs processes and procedures, including
  how to accurately complete claims and appeals forms and how to
  support claims;
                     (D)  methods of collecting required documentation
  and developing claims and appeals;
                     (E)  methods of documenting progress and updating
  a veteran's, a veteran's family member's, or another eligible
  dependent's case information;
                     (F)  methods of assisting veterans, their family
  members, or other eligible dependents in pursuing appeals,
  including offering case knowledge in appeals hearings; and
                     (G)  methods of representing veterans, their
  family members, or other eligible dependents during appeals
  hearings; and
               (4)  coordinate with the Department of State Health
  Services to incorporate a suicide prevention component as part of
  the accreditation training and examination.
         SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2013.