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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 05261987 - 1.18 TO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FROM: Phil Batchelor Contra County Administrator Costa DATE: May 20, 1987 County SUBJECT: Legislation: Assembly Bill 1807 (Longshore) SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(.S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION- Adopt a position of support for AB 1807 by Assemblyman Longshore which expands the availability of the services provided by the Veterans Services Office to veterans and requires all agencies to serve veterans on the same basis as they do any other client eligible for their services. BACKGROUND: Existing law authorizes county veterans services officers to assist veterans of any war in pursuing claims for federal and state veterans' benefits arising out of war service. This can be interpreted as precluding a veterans services officer from assisting a veteran in presenting a claim for veterans ' benefits that did not arise from specified war service. Assemblyman Longshore has introduced AB 1807 which would repeal the requirement that the claim arise out of war service thereby authorizing veterans services officers to provide service to veterans in presenting claims regardless of whether or not they arose from war services. AB 1807 would also require every state and local public agency to provide its benefits or assistance to every veteran on the same basis as it would to any other eligible client. AB 1807 also directs all state and local agencies to refer to the county veterans services officer any situation in which the cost of the services it provides are reimbursable from the Veterans Administration so that the veterans services officer can present the claim to the Veterans Administration on behalf of the state or local agency. Veterans increasingly have claims they wish to pursue which do not arise from specified declared war services. In addition, existing law does not clearly authorize a veterans services officer to present a claim to the Veterans Administration on behalf of a state or local agency which has provided reimbursable services to a veteran. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE; /y z4l/e X RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BCOARD COMMITTEE _X APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): ACTION OF BOARD ON May 26, 1987 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS 1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE UNANIMOUS (ABSENT �— ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. cc: County Administrator ATTESTED _ MAY 2 6 1987 Veterans Services officer Jackson/Barish & Associates PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF CSAC Director SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Assemblyman Longshore M382/7-83 BY DEPUTY Page 2 Since AB 1807 would make services more readily available to veterans regardless of their war service and would authorize a veterans services officer to present claims on behalf of county departments in an effort to recover costs from the federal government, the County Veterans Services Officer recommends that the Board support AB 1807 . This office concurs in that recommendation.