Bill Text: NJ S1871 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes program to provide assistance to qualified veterans in in-patient and out-patient treatment programs to travel to medical counseling in State.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-02-15 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee [S1871 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-S1871-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator JAMES BEACH
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes program to provide assistance to qualified veterans in in-patient and out-patient treatment programs to travel to medical counseling in State.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing a program to provide travel assistance to certain veterans, and supplementing chapter 3 of Title 38A of the New Jersey Statutes and chapter 25 of Title 27 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs shall establish a program to provide assistance to qualified veterans in in-patient and out-patient treatment programs to travel to attend medical counseling appointments for service-connected conditions approved and authorized by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs within this State.
The department shall:
a. develop, in cooperation with the New Jersey Transit Corporation and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, a program to provide reimbursement, subject to available State or federal funding, to qualified veterans who spend their own funds to travel on public transportation to and from medical counseling appointments for service-connected conditions within the State using any motor bus or rail passenger service conducted by the corporation when the veteran is not otherwise eligible for payment for travel or reimbursement by means of any existing State or federal program;
b. develop, in cooperation with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, a program to provide reimbursement to qualified veterans who spend their own funds to travel using private transportation to and from medical counseling appointments for service-connected conditions within the State by reimbursing on a per mile basis their operation of a privately-owned conveyance when that veteran is not otherwise eligible for payment for travel or reimbursement by means of any existing State or federal program, provided that the qualified veteran shall not use a for-hire private entity that charges for transportation unless such transportation is necessary for the qualified veteran due to a service-connected injury or disability for which the veteran has a certified rating provided by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs which prevents or hinders his or her ability to operate a privately-owned conveyance;
c. develop, in coordination with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, a system for monitoring veterans who have applied for reimbursement;
d. notify the general public and eligible veterans that the program established by this section is available to qualified veterans; and
e. adopt such rules and regulations as may be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act.
2. The New Jersey Transit Corporation shall cooperate with the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs to provide receipts or other proof of travel to veterans in in-patient and out-patient treatment programs who have been qualified to use any motorbus or rail passenger service pursuant to section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), so that they may be reimbursed for travel to attend medical counseling appointments for service-connected conditions within this State when they are not otherwise eligible for payment for travel or reimbursement through any other State or federal program.
3. This act shall take effect on the 180th day following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
Under this bill, the State Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs (DMVA) is to establish a program to provide travel assistance to qualified veterans in inpatient and out-patient treatment programs to travel to attend medical counseling appointments for service-connected conditions approved and authorized by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs within this State.
Specifically, the department would:
a. develop, in cooperation with New Jersey Transit and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, a program to provide reimbursement to qualified veterans who spend their own funds to travel on public transportation to and from medical counseling appointments for service-connected conditions within the State using any motor bus or rail passenger service conducted by the corporation when the veteran is not otherwise eligible for payment for travel or reimbursement by means of any existing State or federal program;
b. develop, in cooperation with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, a program to provide reimbursement to qualified veterans who spend their own funds to travel using private transportation to and from medical counseling appointments for service-connected conditions within the State by reimbursing on a per mile basis their operation of a privately-owned conveyance when that veteran is not otherwise eligible for payment for travel or reimbursement by means of any existing State or federal program;
c. develop, in coordination with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, a system for monitoring veterans who have applied for reimbursement; and
d. notify the general public and eligible veterans that the program established by this bill is available to qualified veterans.
As part of the program to be established by this bill, New Jersey Transit is to cooperate with DMVA to provide receipts or other proof of travel to veterans in in-patient and out-patient treatment programs who have been qualified to use any motorbus or rail passenger service so that they may be reimbursed for travel to attend medical counseling appointments for service-connected conditions within this State when they are not otherwise eligible for payment for travel or reimbursement through any other State or federal program.
