Bill Text: NY S02977 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Relates to certain questions regarding veterans on intake forms for admission and residency.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2021-11-11 - APPROVAL MEMO.39 [S02977 Detail]
Download: New_York-2021-S02977-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2977--A Cal. No. 682 2021-2022 Regular Sessions IN SENATE January 26, 2021 ___________ Introduced by Sen. HARCKHAM -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Securi- ty and Military Affairs -- reported favorably from said committee, ordered to first and second report, ordered to a third reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place in the order of third reading AN ACT to amend the executive law and the public health law, in relation to certain questions regarding veterans on intake forms for admission and residency The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 368-a 2 to read as follows: 3 § 368-a. Intake forms for admission and residency. 1. The division, in 4 cooperation with the office of temporary and disability assistance, the 5 office of mental health and any other state department, office, division 6 or agency the division deems necessary, shall require that all intake 7 forms for admission or residency to any homeless shelter shall ask an 8 applicant on their intake forms: "Have you ever served in the mili- 9 tary?". Such homeless shelter shall in writing advise all individuals 10 identifying themselves as having served in the United States military 11 that the division of veterans' services and local veterans' service 12 agencies established pursuant to section three hundred fifty-seven of 13 this article provide assistance to veterans regarding benefits available 14 under federal and state law. Such written information shall include the 15 name, address and telephone number of the New York state division of 16 veterans' services, the nearest division of veterans' services office, 17 the nearest county or city veterans' service agency and the nearest 18 accredited veterans' service officer. Every homeless shelter, with the 19 permission of such individual's identifying themself as a veteran, shall EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD01922-03-1S. 2977--A 2 1 transmit such veteran's status information to the division of veterans' 2 services. 3 § 2. Section 2805-o of the public health law, as added by chapter 158 4 of the laws of 1993, the section heading as amended by chapter 95 of the 5 laws of 2004, and subdivisions 2 and 3 as amended by section 22 of part 6 AA of chapter 56 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows: 7 § 2805-o. Identification of veterans and their spouses by nursing 8 homes [and], residential health care facilities and assisted living 9 residences. 1. Every nursing home and residential health care facility 10 as defined in subdivisions two and three of section two thousand eight 11 hundred one of this article and assisted living residences as defined in 12 section forty-six hundred fifty-one of this chapter shall keep and main- 13 tain accurate records identifying veterans and their spouses residing 14 within such facilities. Such information shall be solicited by nursing 15 home and/or residential health care facility staff upon a patient's 16 admission, noted on the admission form, and included with the patient's 17 file by asking the question "Have you ever served in the United States 18 military?". In the case of patients currently residing at such nursing 19 homes or residential health care facilities, staff shall solicit such 20 information by asking the question "Have you ever served in the United 21 States military?" from each patient residing at such institution and 22 update the patient's file to indicate veteran status. 23 2. Every nursing home [and], residential health care facility and 24 assisted living residences shall in writing advise all individuals iden- 25 tifying themselves as veterans or spouses of veterans that the division 26 of veterans' services and local veterans' service agencies established 27 pursuant to section three hundred fifty-seven of the executive law to 28 provide assistance to veterans and their spouses regarding benefits 29 under federal and state law. Such written information shall include the 30 name, address and telephone number of the New York state division of 31 veterans' services, the nearest division of veterans' services office, 32 the nearest county or city veterans' service agency and the nearest 33 accredited veterans' service officer. 34 3. Every nursing home [and], residential health care facility and 35 assisted living residence, [upon request] with the permission of indi- 36 viduals identifying themselves as veterans or spouses of veterans, shall 37 transmit such veteran status information to the division of veterans' 38 services. 39 4. Any person who violates the provisions of this section shall be 40 subject to a civil fine not to exceed fifty dollars per violation but in 41 no event shall any fine exceed one thousand dollars. 42 § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after 43 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend- 44 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen- 45 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and 46 completed on or before such date.
