HB2647eng 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB2647 Engrossed LRB100 08180 MJP 18276 b

AN ACT concerning State government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Department of Veterans Affairs Act is amended by adding Section 2h as follows:

(20 ILCS 2805/2h new)

Sec. 2h. Task Force on Veterans' Suicide recommendations. The provisions of this Section are based on the recommendations in the final report of the Task Force on Veterans' Suicide, published on December 1, 2016. The Department shall adopt any rules necessary to implement this Section. The Department shall seek available federal funding, grants, or private funding to help fund the requirements of this Section; or the Department shall collaborate with other departments, existing veterans' organizations, nonprofit organizations, or private organizations to implement the requirements of this Section.

(1) The Department shall reach out to the United States Department of Defense in order to identify veterans returning from service in heavy casualty units, units that experienced high conflict areas, or units where at least one service member committed suicide following his or her service. The Department shall establish a proactive outreach program for veterans that served in high casualty units, in units that experienced high conflict areas, and in units where at least one service member committed suicide following his or her service.

(2) The Department or the Department in collaboration with not-for-profit organizations shall engage in a public awareness campaign concerning the trauma and internal injuries suffered by veterans in order to promote understanding and acceptance from the general public. The public awareness campaign shall work to dispel the myths associated with grieving, suicide, and mental health healing. The Department shall evaluate existing programs, including, but not limited to, the Suicide Prevention Alliance under the Suicide Prevention, Education, and Treatment Act, and coordinate messaging using messaging guidelines that existing programs have found to be successful.

(3) The Department shall provide training to frontline employees at veterans service organizations established under this Act on mental health services to identify veterans who might be at risk of suicidal thoughts. This training may include, but not be limited to, mental health first aid training and amplified suicide advanced training programs. The Department shall provide assistance to Veterans Assistance Commissions established under Section 9 of the Military Veterans Assistance Act and veterans' service associations, including, but not limited to, the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and AMVETS, in providing the training under this paragraph to the employees of the Veterans Assistance Commissions and veterans' service associations.

The Department shall hire combat veterans to serve as veteran service officers at veterans service organizations established under this Act for the purpose of having veteran services officers who are able to properly relate to fellow combat veterans.

(4) The Department shall collaborate with institutions of higher education to address environmental factors that could negatively impact a veteran's ability to learn in a traditional classroom setting. Such factors include, but are not limited to, expanding veterans' access to online learning; desk placement away from windows, crowded hallways, or orientation; grouping veterans together in a class; and veterans' only instructional periods. The Department, in coordination with institutions of higher education, shall provide proactive outreach as part of an educational success program for veterans experiencing difficulties in higher education due to undiagnosed mental health issues that prevent them from succeeding.

(5) The Department shall provide a family preparation course concerning the emotional cycle of deployment that is designed to help a family unit adjust to changes in discharged and returning veterans and inform the family members of where to go to seek assistance. This course shall be made available to the family of a veteran prior to the discharge and homecoming of the veteran.

(6) The Department shall develop a licensing program for therapy dogs, with a possible extension to other therapy animals, for veterans. The Department shall develop standards for the training and identification of therapy dogs for veterans. The designation of therapy dog under this paragraph shall not qualify the dog to be a service animal as provided under any other Act in this State.

(7) The Department shall reach out to the United States Department of Defense to obtain information on returning veterans and develop a transition program for returning veterans that reside in the State. The program developed under this paragraph shall include a veteran-to-veteran connection program and information on local organizations that provide resources or services for veterans that a veteran can access.

(8) The Department shall reach out to the United States Department of Defense in order to develop a system that allows veterans to file a federal DD Form 214 immediately upon discharge.

(9) The Department shall collaborate with chambers of commerce in the State to create an employer training program that focuses on the needs of employees that are veterans. The Department shall develop a program that identifies companies that are trained on the circumstances that are unique to veterans seeking employment and that support employees that are veterans.

(10) The Department, in collaboration with veterans' organizations in the State, shall establish a standard statewide peer-to-peer training program to familiarize veterans with the veterans' services available at the local, State, and federal levels.