Bill Text: NY S07708 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Establishes a veterans' bill of rights; provides sample language for such bill of rights; requires the department of veterans' services to establish and distribute a veterans' bill of rights and to make such bill of rights available on the department's website.

Sponsorship: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2026-06-02 - SUBSTITUTED BY A6559C [S07708 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-S07708-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         7708--B

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                       May 1, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced by Sen. FERNANDEZ -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Securi-
          ty and Military Affairs -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
          reprinted  as amended and recommitted to said committee -- 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 commit-
          tee

        AN ACT to amend the veterans' services law, in relation  to  the  estab-
          lishing a veterans' bill of rights

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The veterans' services law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
     2  section 29-f to read as follows:
     3    §  29-f.  Veterans' bill of rights. 1. The department shall establish,
     4  print, publish and distribute a veterans' bill of rights. Such  bill  of
     5  rights  shall  include  the  following  or  substantially  similar  text
     6  describing the existing rights of veterans under current law:
     7  "VETERANS' BILL OF RIGHTS
     8  You as a veteran have a right:
     9    1. To apply for veterans' benefits for which you may be eligible;
    10    2. To receive assistance from your local state veterans' service agen-
    11  cy and all offices  of  the  New  York  state  department  of  veterans'
    12  services;
    13    3.  To receive, upon request, an explanation of any services and bene-
    14  fits available under federal and New York state laws,  rules  and  regu-
    15  lations;
    16    4.  To  receive  written  notice and an explanation of the approval or
    17  denial of your application for benefits available through the  New  York
    18  state department of veterans' services;
    19    5. To be treated with dignity and respect;

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09703-07-6
        S. 7708--B                          2

     1    6.  To  appeal, subject to applicable law, an adverse determination or
     2  denial of your application for services or  benefits  available  through
     3  the New York state department of veterans' services;
     4    7. To expect confidentiality to the extent provided by law;
     5    8.  To  receive  fair and equal treatment without regard to sex, race,
     6  religion, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or national origin; and
     7    9. To  receive,  upon  request,  information  relating  to  assistance
     8  provided  to veterans in the state of New York including but not limited
     9  to: legal services; educational, employment, or  housing  opportunities;
    10  assistance  with discharge upgrades and/or character of service determi-
    11  nations; tax benefits, including real property and personal  taxes;  and
    12  the  veterans  notation on New York state driver's license or non-driver
    13  identification cards."
    14    2. The department shall  conspicuously  post  the  veterans'  bill  of
    15  rights  on the department's website and shall make the veterans' bill of
    16  rights available to county and city veterans' service agencies.
    17    § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
    18  have  become  a  law.  Effective  immediately,  the addition, amendment,
    19  and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation
    20  of this act on  its  effective  date  are  authorized  to  be  made  and
    21  completed on or before such effective date.