NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A8477
SPONSOR: Hunter TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the veterans' services law, in relation to establishing
a women veteran's peer to peer program
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
The purpose of this bill is create a women veteran's peer to peer
program.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Subdivision 3 of Section 19 of the Veterans' Services Law is
amended by adding a new paragraph (k).
Section 2: Subparagraphs (vii) and (viii) of Paragraph 9 of section 20
of the Veterans' Services Law are amended and new Subparagraph (ix) is
added.
Section 3. Effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
In the Annual Report from the New York State Women Veterans Advisory
Committee dated February 15, 2025, one of the recommendations recom-
mended by the Committee is to strengthen mental health support. This
bill would help in meeting this goal by requiring the Department of
Veterans' Services to establish a peer to peer program for women veter-
ans.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Legislation,
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None noted (Sponsor)
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first day of April next succeeding the
date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the
addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary
for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized
to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8477
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 16, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. HUNTER -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Veterans' Affairs
AN ACT to amend the veterans' services law, in relation to establishing
a women veteran's peer to peer program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 3 of section 19 of the veterans' services law
2 is amended by adding a new paragraph (k) to read as follows:
3 (k) coordination with other agencies, including but not limited to the
4 office of mental health, the office of addiction services and supports,
5 the department of labor and department of civil service, for the devel-
6 opment and implementation of a peer to peer support service program
7 specifically for women veterans.
8 § 2. Subparagraphs (vii) and (viii) of paragraph (a) of subdivision 9
9 of section 20 of the veterans' services law are amended and a new
10 subparagraph (ix) is added to read as follows:
11 (vii) providing outreach regarding available resources for veterans
12 with a qualifying condition as defined in section one of this article;
13 [and]
14 (viii) advocating on behalf of women veterans to ensure that the
15 programs and policies of this state and of the United States department
16 of veterans' affairs remain open to women and mindful of the elements of
17 the experience of a veteran that are unique to women[.]; and
18 (ix) establishing a women veteran's peer to peer program.
19 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first day of April next
20 succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective
21 immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regu-
22 lation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective
23 date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective
24 date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13115-01-5
