Bill Text: NY A00050 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Enacts the "behavioral health services for veterans act".

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-05-22 - held for consideration in veterans' affairs [A00050 Detail]

Download: New_York-2011-A00050-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                          50
                              2011-2012 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                      (PREFILED)
                                    January 5, 2011
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by M. of A. ORTIZ -- read once and referred to the Committee
         on Veterans' Affairs
       AN ACT to amend the  executive  law  and  the  mental  hygiene  law,  in
         relation to enacting the "behavioral health services for veterans act"
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "behavioral
    2  health services for veterans act".
    3    S 2. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 369 to  read
    4  as follows:
    5    S  369.  BEHAVIORAL  HEALTH  SERVICES FOR VETERANS ADVISORY BOARD.  1.
    6  THERE IS HEREBY ESTABLISHED WITHIN THE  DIVISION,  A  BEHAVIORAL  HEALTH
    7  SERVICES  FOR  VETERANS ADVISORY BOARD. SUCH BOARD SHALL CONSIST OF NINE
    8  MEMBERS, THREE OF WHOM SHALL BE APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR, TWO  OF  WHOM
    9  SHALL BE APPOINTED BY THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, TWO OF WHOM
   10  SHALL  BE APPOINTED BY THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY, ONE OF WHOM SHALL BE
   11  APPOINTED BY THE MINORITY LEADER OF THE SENATE AND ONE OF WHOM SHALL  BE
   12  APPOINTED  BY  THE  MINORITY  LEADER OF THE ASSEMBLY. SUCH MEMBERS SHALL
   13  SERVE AT THE PLEASURE OF THE  APPOINTING  AUTHORITY.  VACANCIES  ON  THE
   14  BOARD SHALL BE FILLED IN THE MANNER OF THE ORIGINAL APPOINTMENT. MEMBERS
   15  OF  THE BOARD SHALL RECEIVE NO COMPENSATION FOR THEIR SERVICES BUT SHALL
   16  BE REIMBURSED FOR ACTUAL AND NECESSARY EXPENSES INCURRED IN THE PERFORM-
   17  ANCE OF THEIR DUTIES.
   18    2. THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR VETERANS  ADVISORY  BOARD  SHALL
   19  STUDY  AND  ANALYZE  BOTH  THE ADEQUACY OF EXISTING AND THE NEED FOR NEW
   20  BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR VETERANS. IN PROVIDING SUCH ANALYSIS, THE
   21  BOARD SHALL WORK IN COOPERATION WITH THE DIVISION, THE OFFICE  OF  ALCO-
   22  HOLISM  AND  SUBSTANCE  ABUSE  SERVICES  AND  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF MENTAL
   23  HYGIENE. THE BOARD SHALL REPORT THE FINDINGS OF SUCH STUDY TO THE GOVER-
   24  NOR AND THE LEGISLATURE ALONG WITH RECOMMENDATIONS  IT  DEEMS  NECESSARY
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD03931-01-1
       A. 50                               2
    1  FOR  EXPANDED AND IMPROVED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES ON OR BEFORE OCTO-
    2  BER FIRST, TWO THOUSAND TWELVE.
    3    S  3.  The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section 19.43
    4  to read as follows:
    5  S 19.43 BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR VETERANS.
    6    (A) THE OFFICE, IN COOPERATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT AND THE DIVISION OF
    7  VETERANS' AFFAIRS, SHALL ESTABLISH WITHIN EVERY COUNTY WITHIN THE STATE,
    8  ACCESS TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR VETERANS. IN ESTABLISHING  SUCH
    9  ACCESS,  THE  OFFICE SHALL PROVIDE TREATMENT ON AN INPATIENT, OUTPATIENT
   10  AND RESIDENTIAL BASIS, THAT SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO,  PHAR-
   11  MACOTHERAPY FOR ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE, OPIOID DEPENDENCE AND OTHER CHEMICAL
   12  DEPENDENCE AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS.
   13    (B)  STAFF  PROVIDING  BEHAVIORAL  HEALTH  SERVICES  TO VETERANS SHALL
   14  RECEIVE TRAINING IN THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF VETERANS WITH RESPECT TO CHEM-
   15  ICAL DEPENDENCIES AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS AND  SHALL  BE  EXPANDED
   16  WHEN NEEDED TO ADEQUATELY PROVIDE SUCH SERVICES.
   17    (C)  IN  ADDITION TO THE SERVICES SET FORTH IN SUBDIVISION (A) OF THIS
   18  SECTION, THE OFFICE SHALL PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING SERVICES:
   19    1. COORDINATION OF SERVICES BY AN INDIVIDUAL CARE COORDINATOR FOR EACH
   20  VETERAN WHO SEEKS SERVICES;
   21    2. SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT FOR POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER,  TRAU-
   22  MATIC BRAIN INJURY, DEPRESSION AND POTENTIAL FOR SUICIDE;
   23    3.  AGENCY  NETWORKING  TO  PROVIDE VETERANS WITH CONSISTENT TREATMENT
   24  THROUGHOUT THE STATE AND THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION;
   25    4. TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY THIS SECTION;
   26    5. EVALUATION OF CLINICAL PRACTICES SPECIFIC TO VETERANS; AND
   27    6. COORDINATION OF PATIENT CARE SERVICES.
   28    (D) THE OFFICE IS HEREBY AUTHORIZED AND DIRECTED TO  PROMULGATE  RULES
   29  AND REGULATIONS NECESSARY FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS SECTION.
   30    S 4. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that section two
   31  of  this  act shall take effect April 1, 2011; and provided further that
   32  effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule
   33  or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effec-
   34  tive date is authorized to be made and completed on or before such date.