Bill Text: TX SB544 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to required training for veterans county service officers and assistant veterans county service officers.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2017-06-09 - Effective on 9/1/17 [SB544 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-SB544-Enrolled.html
S.B. No. 544 |
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relating to required training for veterans county service officers | ||
and assistant veterans county service officers. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Sections 434.038(a), (b), (c), and (e), | ||
Government Code, are amended to read as follows: | ||
(a) An officer shall, within the time after the date of the | ||
officer's appointment that the commission prescribes, complete a | ||
course of initial training provided by the Texas Veterans | ||
Commission or approved under Subsection (e)(5). The commission | ||
shall issue the officer a certificate of training after completion | ||
of all [ |
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commission under this section [ |
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the officer shall complete continuing training [ |
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required by the commission that is approved under Subsection (e)(5) | ||
or provided by the commission. An officer must maintain | ||
certification to remain in office. | ||
(b) The commission may [ |
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expense, the initial and continuing training required by this | ||
section at least once each year. If state funds are appropriated | ||
for that purpose, the commission shall reimburse an officer's | ||
travel and lodging expenses incurred in attending training provided | ||
by the commission. The commission shall make the reimbursement in | ||
the manner prescribed for the reimbursement of these expenses to | ||
state employees. | ||
(c) The commissioners court of an officer's county shall | ||
reimburse an officer's travel and lodging expenses incurred in | ||
attending [ |
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approved under Subsection (e)(5) [ |
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(e) The commission shall: | ||
(1) maintain course materials and examinations in a | ||
central location and provide county service offices and commission | ||
field staff with access to the course materials on the commission's | ||
Internet website; | ||
(2) regularly update course materials, training | ||
curriculum, and examinations after consulting with: | ||
(A) the United States Department of Veterans | ||
Affairs to ensure the course materials, training curriculum, and | ||
examinations are accurate and meet applicable United States | ||
Department of Veterans Affairs requirements; and | ||
(B) accredited county service officers to ensure | ||
the materials, training curriculum, and examinations include | ||
issues developing at the county level; | ||
(3) develop a training handbook containing | ||
instruction and case studies addressing: | ||
(A) general assistance techniques, including how | ||
to provide general information regarding state and federal benefits | ||
and referrals for other services and to other agencies, and general | ||
information regarding state and federal benefits; | ||
(B) basic counseling approaches for assisting | ||
veterans, their family members, and other eligible dependents | ||
filing benefit claims; | ||
(C) basic information on United States | ||
Department of Veterans Affairs processes and procedures, including | ||
how to accurately complete claims and appeals forms and how to | ||
support claims; | ||
(D) methods of collecting required documentation | ||
and developing claims and appeals; | ||
(E) methods of documenting progress and updating | ||
a veteran's, a veteran's family member's, or another eligible | ||
dependent's case information; | ||
(F) methods of assisting veterans, their family | ||
members, or other eligible dependents in pursuing appeals, | ||
including offering case knowledge in appeals hearings; and | ||
(G) methods of representing veterans, their | ||
family members, or other eligible dependents during appeals | ||
hearings; [ |
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(4) coordinate with the Department of State Health | ||
Services to incorporate a suicide prevention component as part of | ||
the accreditation training and examination; and | ||
(5) approve training provided by public or private | ||
entities to fulfill initial and continuing training requirements | ||
established by the commission under this section. | ||
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. | ||
______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 544 passed the Senate on | ||
April 24, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Secretary of the Senate | ||
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 544 passed the House on | ||
May 24, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 146, Nays 0, two | ||
present not voting. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||
Approved: | ||
______________________________ | ||
Date | ||
______________________________ | ||
Governor |