HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter of Support - SB1043 Veterans' ServicesSTAFF REPORT
CITY OF PALM DESERT
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DEPARTMENT
MEETING DATE: May 10, 2018
PREPARED BY: Stephen Y. Aryan, Risk Manager
REQUEST: Consideration to approve a letter of support for SB 1043 (Newman):
Department of Veterans Affairs: veterans' services.
Recommendation
By Minute Motion, approve a letter of support for SB 1043 (Newman).
Committee Recommendation
The Palm Desert Legislative Review Committee recommended submitting a letter of
support for this bill.
Strategic Plan
This item is not associated with any identifiable objective within the Palm Desert
Strategic Plan.
Background Analysis
SB 1043 (Newman) establishes a continuous appropriation, for each fiscal year
commencing July 1, 2018, of $7 million from the General Fund to the Department of
Veterans Affairs (CalVet). It makes these funds available for allocation to counties to
fund the activities of county veterans' service officers (CVSOs).
CVSOs assist veterans in making claims for veteran's benefits (federal, state, and local).
They also perform other veteran related services requested by counties' board of
supervisors. According to Riverside County officials, over the past three years veterans'
service officers for Riverside County have helped local veterans receive nearly $100
million in benefit payments.
In 2009, Senate Bill 419 was signed into law and raised CVSO program funding to $11
million, if approved in the annual budget process. However, to date, this program has
not received more than $5.6 million per year from the state. The Legislative Review
Committee recommends support for this bill. There are currently no recorded opponents
to this bill, but various agencies support SB 1043 including the County of Riverside.
May 10, 2018 - Staff Report
SB 1043 (Newman) Support Letter
Page 2 of 2
Fiscal Analysis
The City's support of SB 1043 (Newman) has no fiscal impact.
LEGAL REVIEW
N/A
Robert W.
Hargreaves
City Attorney
DEPT. REVIEW
Lori Carney
Director of Adistrative
Services
FINANCIAL REVIEW CITY MANAGER
N/A
Janet Moore
Director of Finance
Laun Aylaiar1
City Manager
ATTACHMENTS: 1. SB 1043 (Newman) as introduced on February 8, 2018
2. Sample Support Letter
3. Riverside County Correspondence (3/22/18)
SENATE BILL No. 1043
Introduced by Senator Newman
February 8, 2018
An act to add Section 972.3 to, and to repeal and add Section 972.1
of, the Military and Veterans Code, relating to veterans, making an
appropriation therefor, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect
immediately.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1043, as introduced, Newman. Department of Veterans Affairs:
veterans' services.
Existing law requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to disburse
funds, appropriated to the department for the purpose of supporting
county veterans service officers pursuant to the annual Budget Act, on
a pro rata basis, to counties that have established and maintain a county
veterans service officer in accordance with the staffing level and
workload of each county veterans service officer under a formula based
upon performance developed by the department.
This bill would define a workload unit for purposes of these provisions
to mean a specific claim activity that is used to allocate subvention
funds to counties, which is approved by the department, and performed
by county veterans service officers. The bill would appropriate on an
annual basis the sum of $7,000,000 from the General Fund to the
Department of Veterans Affairs to be available for allocation to counties
to fund the activities of county veterans service officers, as specified.
The bill would also delete obsolete provisions and would make
conforming changes.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an
urgency statute.
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SB 1043 —2—
Vote: 2/3. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes.
State -mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
1 SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2 following:
3 (a) Since 2001, the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and
4 Africa have created a new generation of veterans who may be
5 eligible for federal veterans benefits because of their war service
6 and their physical and mental conditions.
7 (b) Californians make up to 10 percent of the federal military
8 forces used in these conflicts. Furthermore, the California National
9 Guard and California -based reserve units have contributed
10 significantly to these current conflicts.
11 (c) Many of the more than 400,000 returning California veterans
12 are not aware of the federal and state benefits that are available to
13 them.
14 (d) Additionally, it is estimated that in California there are
15 hundreds of thousands of veterans, as well as their widows or
16 widowers, who are unaware that they may be eligible for pensions
17 from the federal government based upon their, or their spouses',
18 past military service in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, or the Gulf
19 War.
20 (e) California's county veterans service officers are the initial
21 local point of contact for claimants accessing the United States
22 Department of Veterans Affairs.
23 (f) California's veteran benefits delivery model is similar to
24 many other states with a close partnership between the California
25 Department of Veterans Affairs and the county veterans services
26 officers who are the "boots on the ground" and act as the distributed
27 network for outreach, claim initiation, and development.
28 (h) A California Department of Veterans Affairs report to the
29 Legislature in 2007 titled "Strategies to Improve California's
30 Utilization of Veteran Benefits" noted that in comparison to Florida
31 and Texas, states with comparable veterans populations, California
32 could increase federal benefits into the state if it put more trained,
33 professional veteran service representatives in the field. This
34 finding was also supported by independent research.
99
-3— SB 1043
1 (i) Performance metrics gathered when county veterans service
2 officer funding was first authorized shows a direct correlation
3 between increased state funding for new hires and increased
4 monetary benefits for veterans.
5 (j) The cost of maintaining county veterans service officers are
6 shared from county general funds and state reimbursement to the
7 counties. In 1997, in order to track performance, the Legislature
8 enacted, and the Governor signed into law, Senate Bill 608, which
9 required the California Department of Veterans Affairs to annually
10 report the amount of monetary benefits paid to veterans by the
11 federal government that were attributable to the assistance of
12 county veterans service officers. Senate Bill 608 also required the
13 Department of Finance to consider an increase in the annual budget
14 for county veterans service officers of up to $5 million, if approved
15 in the annual budget process. In 2009, the Legislature enacted, and
16 the Governor signed into law, Senate Bill 419, which raised this
17 amount to $1 1 million, if approved in the annual budget process.
18 (k) As a result of this annual reporting, by the end of 2016, it
19 was determined that from 1995 to 2016, inclusive, the state had
20 cumulatively budgeted $58.2 million for its share of the cost of
21 the county veterans service officers. As a result of this investment,
22 county veterans service officers were able to assist local veterans
23 in obtaining $5.4 billion in new federal moneys. This is a return
24 of about $93 for every $1 the state allocates to county veterans
25 service officers. Furthermore, the $5.4 billion only reflects the
26 actual monetary benefits qualified for in a given year. The monetary
27 benefits qualified for in prior years are not tracked, yet the veterans
28 and their dependents may continue to receive those benefits for
29 the rest of their lives. Added to this stellar return on the state's
30 investment, but not counted in the annual reporting, are the
31 Medi-Cal cost avoidance savings incurred as a result of county
32 veterans service officers qualifying and shifting veterans away
33 from Medi-Cal and into the appropriate federal veterans program.
34 (1) County veterans service officers accomplished all of this
35 without ever reaching the allowable state budget allocation of $1 1
36 million, set in 2009. To date, county veterans service officers have
37 not received more than $5.6 million per year from the state.
38 (m) It is critical that the county veterans service officers receive
39 a steady stream of funding because there continues to be a large
40 number of underserved veterans and dependents who are not aware
99
SB 1043 — 4 —
I of the federal benefits available to them as a result of their military
2 service. Studies from other states show that increases in county
3 veterans service officers result in larger amounts of federal moneys
4 to veterans. These new federal moneys and benefits are paid
5 directly from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to
6 the qualifying veterans or their dependents and are used in the
7 local economy.
8 SEC. 2. Section 972.1 of the Military and Veterans Code is
9 repealed.
10 972.1. (a) The 3uni-erf-five-huftelred-theusancl-clel-iars-(4-5-00;000)
1 1 is -hereby Gc't'' t' ' ted f _m the General Fund De t'i�i
.o .. "v' t14;;
12 . xt.1)�,ar
13 .iv itit3 :`
14 o cheersspurs eat t3 thi3 sution. Fu ff. allocaticta in future
15 years 311&11 beep nnual Dudget-Aet.
16 (-b)-Fu„.Js shall be di317ur3G
1 7 t" ntics that have establish, J n� " ntain G :V.1lty vcicran s
18 c office_ i_ a' cvrdane nd
19 efz.act. veicran3 3e
20 performance that c d✓r1.cped Vy the Dc'p4rh1cnl o°vrVet cans
21 Affairs f✓: t11:,3e parpo3c3, and -that :21GI I Gll✓✓
22 any--Etc&l )Ckr-for-county tCt\ i&n3 scritiee-e ccr3 ar ilmount
23 t less `han `hc &;i i ;7. allc,catcd : 1988 89 €3c&I
24 (c) Thc d: t,a. 11..cin✓.ant c4-new
25
26 €eda.:163. c,..:.,.ent-attributable-to tht a33c3ta :eeo county ;,teian3
27 service officers. Thc G paitcncirt sI'►GI1, olr
28 ,
29
fFina_cc shall _ t a ,
30 D;,�a.c:.�.;-pailitieilt 3 cic.:r►.:rct:;,rt
31 it- irnc t3 113c the information in the &fmtlal B' get Act for the
32 b epartin r'` for`hc _cxt `V I year:
33 (d) (1) The Legi3lctu►', Ent Gnu deJGrc. that-50 pereent of
34 nly Yctcran3 3c wire officers
35 .cal y cicsc ,
36 ct1G1'3 that it '3 an c
37 ►ld3 t3 in. rd.T: t
38 .a,i.3 in an amount -net t3 exceed -eleven
39 million ,1.,I1 just;fted by the Lary
99
-5 — SB 1043
1 c'3 SCktan3 attribtrtablc t3 thc c se
2 9#fteers.
3 (2) It i3 thc intent --of thc Lcgisl6 ,
4 c), to c‘xtaitler—an
5 ty 3:,r vicc omccrs
6 in -ail amOunl nclt to CACCed-ftite-ni+Hiern-del-Pars-(450000300-Hf
7 tlic Rion 3tta '3 sac Ic to thy.
8 asststancc v
9 in the -budget:
10 (c) hccorn,
1 1 SEC. 3. Section 972.1 is added to the Military and Veterans
12 Code, to read:
13 972.1. (a) Funds shall be disbursed each fiscal year on a pro
14 rata basis to counties that have established and maintain a county
15 veterans service officer in accordance with the staffing level and
16 workload of each county veterans service officer under a formula
17 based upon performance that shall be developed by the Department
18 of Veterans Affairs for these purposes.
19 (b) For the purposes of this section, "workload unit" means a
20 specific claim activity that is used to allocate subvention funds to
21 counties, which is approved by the department, and performed by
22 county veterans service officers.
23 (c) The department shall annually determine the amount of new
24 or increased monetary benefits paid to eligible veterans by the
25 federal government attributable to the assistance of county veterans
26 service officers. The department shall, on or before October 1 of
27 each year, prepare and transmit its determination for the preceding
28 fiscal year to the Department of Finance and the Legislature. The
29 Department of Finance shall review the department's determination
30 in time to use the information in the annual Budget Act for the
31 budget of the department for the next fiscal year.
32 (d) The Legislature finds and declares that it is an efficient and
33 reasonable use of state funds to increase the annual budget for
34 county veterans service officers up to a total of eleven million
35 dollars ($1 1,000,000) if it is justified by the monetary benefits to
36 the state's veterans attributable to the effort of these officers.
37 SEC. 4. Section 972.3 is added to the Military and Veterans
38 Code, to read:
39 972.3. (a) Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government
40 Code, the sum of seven million dollars ($7,000,000) is hereby
99
SB 1043 —6-
1 appropriated annually from the General Fund each fiscal year
2 commencing July 1, 2018, to the Department of Veterans Affairs
3 to be available for allocation to counties to fund the activities of
4 county veterans service officers pursuant to subdivision (a) of
5 Section 972.1.
6 SEC. 5. This act is an urgency statute necessary for the
7 immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within
8 the meaning of Article IV of the California Constitution and shall
9 go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
10 In order to provide for uninterrupted continuity of services
11 critical to the successful reintegration of California's veterans, to
12 increase California's utilization of veteran benefits at the earliest
13 possible time, and to ensure veterans' claims for benefits are
14 processed in a timely manner, it is necessary that this act take effect
15 immediately.
0
99
DRAFT
May 10, 2018
The Honorable Josh Newman, Chair
Senate Veterans Affairs Committee
State Capitol, Room 4082
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: SB 1043 (Newman). Department of Veterans Affairs: veterans' services.
Notice of Support (As introduced 02/08/18)
Dear Senator Newman:
On behalf of the City of Palm Desert, I want to express our support for Senate Bill 1043,
which establishes a continuous fiscal year appropriation of $7 million to the Department
of Veterans Affairs (CalVet). We appreciate your commitment and effort to increase state
funding for our veterans service officers in the County of Riverside and across the State
of California.
Our community is fortunate to have a number of residents who have served our nation in
uniform and earned the title of veteran. There are approximately 29,000 veterans who
call the Eastern Riverside County region home. The men and women who served our
nation in time of war and in peace have earned our support and respect. Your efforts to
increase funding for the veterans service officers in our state are appreciated and
commendable.
Sincerely,
SABBY JONATHAN
MAYOR
cc: City Council
The Honorable Jeff Stone, California State Senate
The Honorable Chad Mayes, California State Assembly
Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, Fourth District
Anthony D. Gonsalves, Joe A. Gonsalves & Sons (aonsalves @ c onsalvi.com)
Erin Sasse, League of California Cities (esasse@cacities.ora)
Lauri Aylaian, City Manager
Janet Moore, Director of Finance/City Treasurer
Stephen Y. Aryan, Risk Manager
iqouDQtE of
RIVERSIDE OFFICE:
4080 Lemon Street, 5th Floor
Riverside, CA 92502-1647
(951) 955-1040
Fax (951) 955-2194
ilatrsibt
SUPERVISOR V. MANUEL PEREZ
FOURTH DISTRICT
March 22, 2018
The Honorable Sabby Jonathan
c/o City of Palm Desert
73-510 Fred Waring Drive
Palm Desert, CA 92260
Dear Mayor Jonathan:
DISTRICT OFFICE/MAILING ADDRESS
73-710 Fred Waring Drive, Suite 222
Palm Desert, CA 92260-2574
(760) 863-8211
Fax (760) 863-8905
Via email
I am writing to request your support for Senate Bill 1043 (Newman), which will
increase funding from the State of California for county veterans service officers
statewide. SB 1043 requests an increase for funding our veterans service officers to a
$7 million appropriation.
Veterans service officers are the vanguard for California veterans and their access to
benefits for health care, education and numerous other benefits they have earned.
Over the past three years, Riverside County's veterans service officers have helped
veterans receive nearly $100 million in benefit payments.
During the recession, funding from the state for this essential program dropped from
$11 million annually to $3 million. The current level of funding, which is shared
among California's 58 counties, today stands at $5.6 million.
Riverside County is proud to lead an effort to pursue greater state funding to increase
our service to veterans and families. In December, with the full support of our Board,
Supervisor Chuck Washington and I directed our county advocates to request an
increase of funding for veterans service officers. SB 1043, introduced recently by
State Sen. Josh Newman, is a legislative vehicle for this important funding request.
I would greatly appreciate your office and the City Council providing letters in
support of SB 1043 to Sen. Newman. Attached is a sample letter. I would
respectfully request my office be copied on your letter of support.
www.RivCo4.org • District4%rcbos.org
The Honorable Sabby Jonathan
March 22, 2018
Page 2
If you have any questions about this request, please contact my Chief of Public
Policy Tom Freeman at TSFreeman'u'rivco.org.
Your support for our veterans is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
V. MANUEL PEREZ
Supervisor, Fourth District
cc: Deputy CEO- Legislative Affairs
Attachment