S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
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                                  5432

                       2011-2012 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                              May 20, 2011
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen.  BALL  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Securi-
  ty and Military Affairs

AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to expanding  the  duties
  of the women veterans coordinator

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Section 361-b of the executive law, as amended  by  chapter
358 of the laws of 1999, is amended to read as follows:
  S 361-b. Women  veterans  coordinator.  1.  Definitions. (a) "Veteran"
shall have the same meaning as provided in subdivision  one  of  section
three hundred sixty-four of this article.
  (b) "Division" shall mean the state division of veterans' affairs.
  (c)  "Women veterans coordinator" shall be a veteran[, provided that a
preference shall be given to a qualified woman veteran.
  (d) "State veterans nursing homes" shall be defined herein as all  New
York state veterans nursing homes, including but not limited to, the New
York  state  veterans  home,  located  in  Oxford; the Long Island state
veterans home, located on the campus of the state university of New York
at Stony Brook; the New York state veterans home at St. Albans,  located
in  Jamaica; the state veterans home at Batavia, located in Batavia, New
York and any future veterans nursing homes located in New York state].
  2. Such women veterans coordinator shall be appointed by the director.
  3. Establishment of women veterans coordinator. There is hereby estab-
lished within the division, a "women  veterans  coordinator"  who  shall
work under the direction of the director and whose duties shall include,
but not be limited to, the:
  (a)  identification,  development,  planning, organization and coordi-
nation of all statewide programs and services to meet the needs of women
veterans[. This initiative shall include  but  not  be  limited  to  all
services in state veterans nursing homes];

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD09965-01-1
              

S. 5432                             2

  (b)  recommendation  to  the  director  to  ensure compliance with all
existing division policies and regulations pertaining to  the  needs  of
women  veterans  on the state and federal level AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS
REGARDING THE IMPROVEMENT OF BENEFITS AND SERVICES TO WOMEN VETERANS;
  (c)  liaison  between  the  division,  THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF
VETERANS AFFAIRS CENTER FOR WOMEN VETERANS, the United States department
of veterans affairs advisory committee on women veterans, state veterans
nursing homes, state agencies, community  groups,  advocates  and  other
veterans AND MILITARY organizations and interested parties;
  (d)  [dissemination  of information on available programs and services
to state veterans nursing homes;
  (e) provision of ombudsman services on issues pertaining to  women  in
state veterans nursing homes, with a primary emphasis on health care and
services unique to women;
  (f)  provision  of consultation services with health care teams within
state veterans nursing homes to  provide  the  division  with  a  better
understanding of the special needs and concerns of women veterans;
  (g)  monitoring  and tracking availability of adequate hospital rooms;
appropriate maintenance of privacy, clothing  and  personal  needs,  and
canteen  projects specific to the needs of women patients; evaluation of
satisfaction level of women patients with care received; and maintenance
of relevant statistics pertaining to the provision of services and bene-
fits to women at state veterans nursing homes;
  (h)] development and maintenance of a  clearinghouse  for  information
and resources for women VETERANS; [and]
  (E)  PROMOTE  EVENTS  AND ACTIVITIES THAT RECOGNIZE, EDUCATE AND HONOR
WOMEN VETERANS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED  TO  SEMINARS  REQUIRED  UNDER
SUBDIVISION FOUR-B OF SECTION THREE HUNDRED FIFTY-THREE OF THIS ARTICLE;
AND
  [(i)]  (F)  preparation  of  reports  to the director on the status of
women veterans within New York state.
  4. Reports. The women veterans coordinator shall submit  a  report  to
the  director  each year after the effective date of [the chapter of the
laws of nineteen hundred ninety-nine which added  this  provision]  THIS
SECTION.  Such  report shall include, but not be limited to, [the number
of women veterans served by the program. The director shall include such
report or synopsis of such report to the governor as provided in section
three hundred fifty-three of this article] A DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  WOMEN
VETERANS COORDINATOR'S ACTIVITIES FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR AND THE PROGRAMS
DEVELOPED PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION. THE DIRECTOR SHALL
SUBMIT THE REPORT OR A SYNOPSIS OF THE REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR IN ACCORD-
ANCE  WITH  THE  PROVISIONS OF SECTION THREE HUNDRED FIFTY-THREE OF THIS
ARTICLE.
  S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.