330 ILCS 45/9

(330 ILCS 45/9) (from Ch. 23, par. 3089)

Sec. 9. Veterans Assistance Commission.

(a) In counties having 2 or more posts, camps, chapters or detachments of military veterans organizations as may be recognized by law, a central assistance committee may be organized to be known as the Veterans Assistance Commission of such county, composed of delegates and alternates from a majority of such posts, camps, units, and chapters or ship selected annually as determined by each post, ship, camp, or chapter. When so organized a commission shall be clothed with all the powers and charged with all the duties theretofore devolving upon the different posts and chapters as provided in Section 2.

(1) Beginning on January 1, 2017, and every January 1 thereafter, all Veterans Assistance Commissions shall publish a notice to each post, camp, unit, chapter, ship, or detachment of a military veterans organization within their respective county calling on them to select delegates and alternates for that county's Veterans Assistance Commission by the methods provided in this subsection. The Veterans Assistance Commissions shall allow each post, camp, unit, chapter, ship, or detachment of a military veterans organization 60 days to respond.

(2) Except as provided in paragraph (3), posts, camps, units, chapters, ships, or detachments of a military veterans organization shall be permitted to select one delegate and one alternate.

(3) In counties with 5 or more posts, camps, units, chapters, ships, or detachments of the same military veterans organization, all the constituent posts, camps, units, chapters, ships, or detachments of such military organizations shall be permitted to select a single delegate and single alternate to represent that military veterans organization instead of each constituent post, camp, unit, chapter, ship, or detachment selecting one delegate and one alternate. For the purposes of meeting the majority requirement of this subsection, when the constituent groups of a military veterans organization choose to select a single delegate and single alternate, the single delegate and single alternate shall represent the aggregate percentage of the constituent groups.

(b) The Commission superintendent and the president or chairman of the county board, or some other county officer appointed by him, shall have general oversight of the distribution of all moneys and supplies appropriated by the county for the benefit of military veterans and their families, subject to such rules, regulations, administrative procedures or audit reviews as are necessary as approved by the county board to carry out the spirit and intent of this Act. No warrant authorized under this Act may be issued for the payment of money without the presentation of an itemized statement or claim, approved by the superintendent of the Commission.

If general assistance funds are allocated to a county for assistance to military veterans and their families as provided in the Illinois Public Aid Code, the administration of such funds and of county tax funds levied for such purpose as provided in Section 5-2006 of the Counties Code shall be subject to the supervision of the Department of Human Services in accordance with the provisions of the Illinois Public Aid Code. The superintendent of the Veterans Assistance Commission must comply with the procedures and regulations adopted by the Veterans Assistance Commission and the regulations of the Department of Human Services. To further the intent of this Act of assisting military veterans, this Act is to be construed so that the Veterans Assistance Commission shall provide needed services to eligible veterans.

(Source: P.A. 99-853, eff. 8-19-16.)