85R751 MTB-D

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. Section 434.038, Government Code, is amended by amending Subsections (a), (a-1), (c), and (e) and adding Subsection (a-2) 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]. 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 by this section may be provided by:

(1) the commission; or

(2) a public or private entity approved by the commission under Subsection (e).

(a-2) 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.

(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.

(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 public or private entities to provide the initial and continuing training required by this section.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.