Veterans: veterans service officers.

Existing law permits the Department of Veterans Affairs to assist veterans and the dependent or survivor of a veteran with presenting and pursuing claims against the federal government arising out of military service and establishing rights to any privilege, preference, care, or compensation provided for by the federal government or the state. County veteran service officers are appointed by county officials to assist veterans, dependents, and survivors in presenting and pursuing claims. Existing law requires the department to disburse funds, appropriated to the department pursuant to the annual Budget Act, on a pro rata basis, to counties that have established and maintain a county veterans service officer in accordance with the staffing level and workload of each county veterans service officer under a formula based upon performance developed by the department. The department is required to submit an annual report on the activities of county veteran service officers to the Department of Finance, the State Department of Health Care Services, the California Veterans Board, and to each Member of the Legislature. This bill would appropriate $11,000,000 on July 1, 2020, and annually thereafter, from the General Fund to the department for allocation to counties for county veterans service officers based upon a workload unit performance formula to be developed by the department. This bill would also require the department to develop performance metrics to demonstrate the effective use of appropriated funds. Finally, this bill would require the department to submit the annual report of county veterans service officer activities by November 15 of each year, and to include the new performance metrics within the report. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.