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SECTION 1. Section 434.007,
Government Code, is amended to read as follows:
Sec. 434.007. DUTIES. The
commission shall:
(1) compile federal, state,
and local laws enacted to benefit members of the armed forces, veterans,
and their families and dependents;
(2) collect information
relating to services and facilities available to veterans;
(3) cooperate with veterans
service agencies in the state;
(4) inform members and
veterans of the armed forces, their families and dependents, and military
and civilian authorities about the existence or availability of:
(A) educational training and
retraining facilities;
(B) health, medical,
rehabilitation, and housing services and facilities;
(C) employment and
reemployment services;
(D) provisions of federal,
state, and local law affording rights, privileges, and benefits to members
and veterans of the armed forces and their families and dependents; and
(E) other similar, related,
or appropriate matters;
(5) assist veterans and
their families and dependents in presenting, proving, and establishing
claims, privileges, rights, and benefits they may have under federal,
state, or local law;
(6) cooperate with all
government and private agencies securing services or benefits to veterans
and their families and dependents;
(7) investigate, and if
possible correct, abuses or exploitation of veterans or their families or
dependents, and recommend necessary legislation for full correction;
(8) coordinate the services
and activities of state departments and divisions having services and
resources affecting veterans or their families or dependents;
(9) approve a provider of
[provide] training for and certify [certification
of] veterans county service officers and assistant veterans county
service officers in accordance with Section 434.038;
(10) through surveys or
other reasonable and accurate methods of estimation, collect and maintain
for each county in the state the number of servicemembers and veterans
residing in the county and annually update and publish the information on
the commission's website; and
(11) with the assistance and
cooperation of the comptroller, inform and assist veterans and their
families and dependents with respect to discovering and initiating claims
for unclaimed property held by the United States Department of Veterans
Affairs.
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No
equivalent provision.
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SECTION 2. Section 434.038,
Government Code, is amended to read as follows:
Sec. 434.038. TRAINING AND
CERTIFICATION. (a) An officer shall, within the time after the date of
the officer's appointment that the commission prescribes, complete a course
of initial training [provided by the
Texas Veterans Commission]. The commission shall issue the
officer a certificate of training after completion of the initial training course.
To maintain certification,
the officer shall complete continuing training to the extent required by the commission.
An officer must maintain
certification to remain in office.
(a-1)
Initial and continuing training required under this section shall be
provided by a public or private entity approved by the commission under
Subsection (d) [The commission shall develop and implement methods
for providing training to officers. The methods may include Internet-based
seminars, participation through videoconference, cooperation with training
provided by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, and other
methods as appropriate].
(b) [The commission shall provide, at commission expense, the
initial and continuing training required by this section at least once each
year.
[(c)] The
commissioners court of an officer's county shall reimburse an officer's
travel and lodging expenses incurred in attending [commission]
training required under this section unless
state funds are appropriated for that purpose. If state funds are
appropriated, the commission shall make the reimbursement in the manner
prescribed for the reimbursement of these expenses to state employees.
(c) [(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.
(d) [(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;
(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 curriculum and examination; and
(5) approve a public or private entity that is accredited by
the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to provide initial and
continuing training required under this section.
(e) [(f)] The
commission may establish rules to carry out the purposes of this section,
including rules regarding carryover of credit for extra course attendance
from one year into subsequent years and the anniversary date by which the
continuing certification requirement must be met.
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SECTION 1. Sections
434.038(a), (b), (c), and (e), Government Code, are amended to read as
follows:
(a) An officer shall, within
the time after the date of the officer's appointment that the commission
prescribes, complete a course of initial training provided by the Texas Veterans Commission or approved under
Subsection (e)(5). The commission shall issue the officer a
certificate of training after completion of all [the]
initial training requirements established by the commission under this
section [course]. To maintain certification, the officer
shall complete continuing training [to
the extent] required by the commission that is approved under Subsection (e)(5) or
provided by the commission. An officer must maintain
certification to remain in office.
(b) The commission may [shall] provide, at commission
expense, the initial and continuing training required by this section at
least once each year. If state funds are appropriated for that purpose,
the commission shall reimburse an officer's travel and lodging expenses
incurred in attending training provided by the commission. The commission
shall make the reimbursement in the manner prescribed for the reimbursement
of these expenses to state employees.
(c) The commissioners court
of an officer's county shall reimburse an officer's travel and lodging
expenses incurred in attending [commission] training required
under this section that is approved
under Subsection (e)(5) [unless
state funds are appropriated for that purpose. If state funds are
appropriated, the commission shall make the reimbursement in the manner
prescribed for the reimbursement of these expenses to state employees].
(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;
(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; and
(5) approve training provided by public or private entities to
fulfill initial and continuing training requirements established by the
commission under this section.
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