By: Lucio S.B. No. 544
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to required training for veterans county service officers
  and assistant veterans county service officers.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         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.
         SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.