BILL NUMBER: S7786A
SPONSOR: ADDABBO
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the veterans' services law, in relation to availability
of information on home care services
 
PURPOSE:
Authorizes the Department of Veterans' Services to consult and collab-
orate with relevant offices in the Department of Health and other HCBS
experts to develop educational materials to improve availability of and
accessibility to information on home and community based services for
veterans and their families.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends subdivision 37 of section 4 of the veterans' services
law as amended by chapter 447 of the laws of 2024 to authorize the
department of veterans' services to collaborate with the State Depart-
ment of health to develop educational materials on accessibility to home
and community-based services for veterans and their families.
Section 2 amends subdivision 1 of section 15 of the veterans' services
law, as amended by chapter 445 of the laws of 2024 to authorize local
veterans' services agencies to post on its website and/or make available
at its office location educational materials relating to the availabili-
ty of and accessibility to home and community-based services.
Section 3 establishes the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
New York has the 5th highest veteran population in the country, and
recent studies estimate that 80% of veterans will have some need for
long-term care services and supports in their lifetime. To address this
development, NYS must improve efforts to inform veterans about the
availability of home and community-based services (HCBS).
Many HCBS programs are available to veterans including adult day
centers, home based primary care, home health aide services, telehealth,
respite care, skilled nursing services, and more. While the high number
of programs and providers can be very beneficial for veterans, the
breadth and variety of the HCBS system can be overwhelming and difficult
to navigate.
To overcome this challenge, this common-sense legislation simply author-
izes the Department of Veterans' Services to consult and collaborate
with relevant offices in the Department of Health and other HCBS experts
to develop educational materials for veterans and their families. Bene-
ficial HCBS programs are ready to be utilized by veterans, but the first
step in accessing these, services is to heighten awareness of the vari-
ous programs, eligibility requirements, providers, services, locations,
and benefits.
In short, HCBS create reliable and innovative ways to meet individual
health needs right in their own homes and communities, the preferred
place to receive care. This bill makes HCBS information easily accessi-
ble for veterans and their families - which can increase healthcare
access, decrease social isolation, and improve the overall quality of
life for our veterans.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law.