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A1898
ASSEMBLY, No. 1898
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman CLEOPATRA G. TUCKER
District 28 (Essex and Union)
Assemblyman JOE DANIELSEN
District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywomen Flynn, Reynolds-Jackson and Assemblyman Rumpf
SYNOPSIS
���� Requires DMVA create Bereavement Counseling Program
for family members and volunteer caregivers of certain veterans.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.
��
An Act
requiring the Department of Military and Veterans
Affairs to create a Bereavement Counseling Program for family members and
volunteer caregivers of certain veterans and supplementing chapter 3 of Title
38A of the New Jersey Statutes.�
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� a.� The Department of
Military and Veterans Affairs, in consultation with the Department of Health,
shall establish a Bereavement Counseling Program for family members and
volunteer caregivers of veterans who die by suicide.�
���� b.��� For the purposes of this
act, P.L.�� , c.�� (C.�� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill):
���� �Clinician� means a person who
provides mental health services, is experienced with post-traumatic stress
disorder and suicide, and is licensed or otherwise authorized, pursuant to
Title 45 of the Revised Statutes, to practice a health care profession that is
regulated by one of the following: the State Board of Medical Examiners; the
State Board of Psychological Examiners; the State Board of Social Work
Examiners; the State Board of Marriage and Family Therapy Examiners.�
���� "Family member"
means a spouse, parent, sibling, child, or grandparent, whether of the whole or
half blood or by adoption, legal guardian, romantic partner, or any person
residing in the veteran�s household.�
���� "Qualified veterans'
organization" means a veterans� organization that qualifies as a section
501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19) tax exempt organization under the Internal Revenue Code,
or a federally chartered veterans' service organization.
���� "Veteran" means a
person who served on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States, or a
Reserve component thereof, including the National Guard, who was honorably
discharged or released under honorable circumstances from active service and
died by suicide.
���� "Volunteer caregiver"
means a person who is 18 years of age or older, is a member of a qualified
veterans� organization, and has provided care in the form of counseling or
social work to the veteran for a minimum of three months prior to the death by
suicide of the veteran.� This term shall not include a person such as a
licensed or professional caregiver, counselor, or social worker, and a person
who received compensation for services.�
���� c.���� (1)� The Adjutant
General of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs shall determine the
application process, and shall establish the criteria for a person to be
considered a qualified applicant.� A qualified applicant seeking to participate
in the program shall submit an application in such form as shall be required by
the department.
���� (2)�� The application shall be
submitted to the department, and upon approval, the department shall match a
family member or caregiver, as appropriate, with a clinician, if a clinician is
available.� The department may deny an applicant because there are no, or
limited, clinicians available for the program.�
���� (3)�� The Adjutant General
shall be responsible for determining whether any person seeking to be
considered a qualified applicant under this act, for the purpose of receiving counseling,
meets the criteria and adjudicating an appeal from any person disputing this
determination.� The determination of the Adjutant General shall be binding.
���� �d.�� (1) The Department of
Military and Veterans Affairs, through its regional network of Veteran Service
Officers, shall provide the family members and volunteer caregivers of the
veteran, when it is known that the cause of death of a veteran is by suicide,
with information and an application for the program, and provide assistance, if
requested, with completing and filing the application with the department.�
���� The Veteran Service Officers
shall also provide assistance to the family members with applying for
applicable federal and State veteran benefits.
���� (2)�� A funeral director,
licensed pursuant to P.L.1952, c.340 (C.45:7-32 et seq.), shall provide the
family members and volunteer caregivers of the veteran, when it is known that
the cause of death of a veteran in their custody is by suicide, with
information and an application for the program, and provide assistance, if
requested, with completing and filing the application with the department.�
���� �e.��� (1)� Application for
bereavement counseling shall be made available to family members and volunteer
caregivers for a period of up to five years after the death of the veteran.�
Counseling sessions shall be available to family members and volunteer caregivers
for a period of up to 24 months after an application for bereavement counseling
has been approved by the department and a clinician assigned.�
���� (2)�� The clinician and the
family member or volunteer caregiver, as appropriate, shall determine the
frequency of the counseling sessions, with a maximum of 30 counseling hours per
year, per family member or caregiver.� The department shall create a system for
monitoring and verifying the hours donated by clinicians.�
���� (3)�� The program shall be at
no cost to the family members and volunteer caregivers.
���� �f.��� The Department of
Military and Veterans Affairs shall advertise the program on its department
Internet site and any other location and manner as the department deems
appropriate.�
���� �g.�� The Department of
Military and Veterans Affairs shall adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the
"Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.),
to effectuate the purposes of this act.
���� 2.��� The Bereavement
Counseling Program established pursuant to section 1 of P.L.�� , c.�� (C.��
)(pending before the Legislature as this bill), shall match clinicians with the
family members and volunteer caregivers of a veteran who died by suicide.�
���� The Department of Military and
Veterans Affairs shall recruit clinicians to donate professional counseling
hours to the family members and volunteer caregivers.� The department may
coordinate the recruitment efforts with the United States Department of Veterans
Affairs.
���� The department shall
coordinate with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to maintain a
list of clinicians who are available to provide professional counseling hours
to family members and volunteer caregivers.
���� 3.��� The Adjutant General may
apply for and accept on behalf of the State any grants from the federal
government or any agency thereof, or from any foundation, corporation,
association, or individual to develop and implement the Bereavement Counseling
Program established pursuant to section 1 of P.L.�� , c.��� (C.�� ) (pending
before the Legislature as this bill).� Any money so received may be expended by
the department, subject to any limitations imposed in such grants, upon
appropriation and warrant of the Director of the Division of Budget and
Accounting of the Department of the Treasury.
���� 4.��� This act shall take
effect on the first day of the sixth month next following enactment, except the
Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs may take
any anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the
implementation of this act.
STATEMENT
����� This bill requires the Department of Military and
Veterans Affairs to establish a Bereavement Counseling Program for family
members and volunteer caregivers of veterans who die by suicide.�
����� The department, through its regional network of
Veteran Service Officers, will provide the family members and volunteer
caregivers with information and an application for the program, when it is
aware that the cause of death of a veteran is by suicide, and provide
assistance with completing and filing the forms.� A funeral director will also
provide the information, application, and assistance when it is known that the
cause of death of a veteran in their custody is by suicide.�
����� The bill requires the department to match the family
members and volunteer caregivers with clinicians.� No fee will be charged to
the family member or volunteer caregiver, and the clinicians will donate their
time.� The application for bereavement counseling will be available for up to
five years after the death of the veteran, and counseling sessions will be
available for a period of up to 24 months after an application for bereavement
counseling has been approved and a clinician assigned.� An individual will be
eligible for a maximum of 30 counseling hours per year.� The department will
create a system for monitoring and verifying the donated hours.�
����� The department will provide notice about the program
on its Internet site and any other location and manner as the department deems
appropriate.�
����� Under the bill, family member means a spouse, parent,
sibling, child, or grandparent, whether of the whole or half blood or by
adoption, legal guardian, romantic partner, or any person residing in the
veteran�s household.� Volunteer caregiver means a person who is 18 years of age
or older, is a member of a qualified veterans� organization, and has provided
care in the form of counseling or social work to the veteran for a minimum of
three months prior to the death by suicide of the veteran.� This term will not
include a person such as a licensed or professional caregiver, counselor, or
social worker, and a person who received compensation for services.� Veteran
means a person who served on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United
States, or a Reserve component thereof, including the National Guard, who was
honorably discharged or released under honorable circumstances from active
service and died by suicide.