House Bill No. 7121 seeks to amend Section 51-297 of the general statutes by excluding veterans' federal service-connected disability benefits from the income calculations used to determine eligibility for public defender services. The bill specifies that these benefits, administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, will not be considered when assessing an individual's financial ability to secure legal representation. This amendment aims to prevent veterans from being unfairly disqualified from accessing public defender services due to their disability income, which could inflate their overall income and affect their eligibility.

In addition to the exclusion of disability benefits, the bill outlines provisions for investigating a person's financial status by public defenders and establishes penalties for individuals who intentionally falsify financial statements to obtain legal representation. It maintains the existing definition of "indigent defendant" and sets guidelines for determining eligibility based on income levels relative to the federal poverty line. The implementation of this bill is projected to incur costs of approximately $361,800 in FY 26 and $356,800 in FY 27 for the Division of Public Defender Services, with additional costs for fringe benefits and potential increases in case loads. The bill is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2025.