Bill Text: NY S04765 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Amended

New York Senate Bill 4765 (Prior Session Legislation)

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

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-29 - PRINT NUMBER 4765A [S04765 Detail]

Download: New_York-2013-S04765-Amended.html

                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                        4765--A
                              2013-2014 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                    April 23, 2013
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sen.  GIPSON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
         printed to be committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Securi-
         ty and Military Affairs -- recommitted to the Committee  on  Veterans,
         Homeland  Security and Military Affairs in accordance with Senate Rule
         6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted  as
         amended and recommitted to said committee
       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-f to
    4  read as follows:
    5    S 369-F. 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-
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD06724-06-4
       S. 4765--A                          2
    1  HOLISM AND  SUBSTANCE  ABUSE  SERVICES  AND  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  MENTAL
    2  HYGIENE. THE BOARD SHALL REPORT THE FINDINGS OF SUCH STUDY TO THE GOVER-
    3  NOR  AND  THE  LEGISLATURE ALONG WITH RECOMMENDATIONS IT DEEMS NECESSARY
    4  FOR  EXPANDED AND IMPROVED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES ON OR BEFORE OCTO-
    5  BER FIRST, TWO THOUSAND FIFTEEN.
    6    S 3. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new  section  19.43
    7  to read as follows:
    8  S 19.43 BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR VETERANS.
    9    (A) THE OFFICE, IN COOPERATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT AND THE DIVISION OF
   10  VETERANS' AFFAIRS, SHALL ESTABLISH WITHIN EVERY COUNTY WITHIN THE STATE,
   11  ACCESS  TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR VETERANS. IN ESTABLISHING SUCH
   12  ACCESS, THE OFFICE SHALL PROVIDE TREATMENT ON AN  INPATIENT,  OUTPATIENT
   13  AND  RESIDENTIAL BASIS, THAT SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, PHAR-
   14  MACOTHERAPY FOR ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE, OPIOID DEPENDENCE AND OTHER CHEMICAL
   15  DEPENDENCE AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS.
   16    (B) STAFF PROVIDING  BEHAVIORAL  HEALTH  SERVICES  TO  VETERANS  SHALL
   17  RECEIVE TRAINING IN THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF VETERANS WITH RESPECT TO CHEM-
   18  ICAL  DEPENDENCIES  AND  SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS AND SHALL BE EXPANDED
   19  WHEN NEEDED TO ADEQUATELY PROVIDE SUCH SERVICES.
   20    (C) IN ADDITION TO THE SERVICES SET FORTH IN SUBDIVISION (A)  OF  THIS
   21  SECTION, THE OFFICE SHALL PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING SERVICES:
   22    1. COORDINATION OF SERVICES BY AN INDIVIDUAL CARE COORDINATOR FOR EACH
   23  VETERAN WHO SEEKS SERVICES;
   24    2.  SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT FOR POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, TRAU-
   25  MATIC BRAIN INJURY, DEPRESSION AND POTENTIAL FOR SUICIDE;
   26    3. AGENCY NETWORKING TO PROVIDE  VETERANS  WITH  CONSISTENT  TREATMENT
   27  THROUGHOUT THE STATE AND THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION;
   28    4. TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY THIS SECTION;
   29    5. EVALUATION OF CLINICAL PRACTICES SPECIFIC TO VETERANS; AND
   30    6. COORDINATION OF PATIENT CARE SERVICES.
   31    (D)  THE  OFFICE IS HEREBY AUTHORIZED AND DIRECTED TO PROMULGATE RULES
   32  AND REGULATIONS NECESSARY FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS SECTION.
   33    S 4. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that section two
   34  of this act shall take effect April 1, 2015; and provided  further  that
   35  effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule
   36  or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effec-
   37  tive date is authorized to be made and completed on or before such date.