Veteran support and services

AN ACT Relating to increasing support and services for veterans; 1
amending RCW 43.60A.230 and 43.60A.235; adding a new section to 2
chapter 43.60A RCW; and creating a new section. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that veterans are 5
eligible for state and federal benefits, but may be unaware of those 6
benefits or the process to apply for them. Veterans service officers 7
serve a critical role in assisting veterans and their families with 8
identifying and applying for federal benefits, including health care, 9
service-connected disability, nonservice-connected pension, 10
employment, education, housing, burial, and survival benefits. The 11
federal department of veterans affairs provides over $6.5 billion per 12
year in benefits to veterans in Washington. The average veteran 13
receiving service-connected disability compensation benefits receives 14
over $1,700 per month.15
The legislature further finds that nationwide, approximately 32 16
percent of veterans receive federal disability compensation. 17
Washington currently has approximately 530,000 resident veterans, but 18
only 158,000 veterans are receiving federal benefits. Currently, 19
veterans in 15 Washington counties receive benefits at or above the 20
national average, 21 counties are within 10 percent of the national 21
H-0255.1
HOUSE BILL 1102
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Representatives Shavers, Ryu, Leavitt, Callan, Simmons, Goodman,
Wylie, Nance, Fosse, and Reeves
Prefiled 12/19/24. Read first time 01/13/25. Referred to Committee
on Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans.
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average, and three counties are more than 10 percent below the 1
national average. 2
Therefore, the legislature intends to expand the veterans service 3
officer program started in 2019 to increase the number of veterans 4
applying for and receiving federal benefits. The program's first 5
veterans service officer assisting veterans in the identification of 6
benefits and filing of claims increased the number of veterans 7
applying for benefits from 13 in the first year to 323 in the third 8
year, and from no annual disability payments to $2,696,524 in federal 9
benefits each year. The Washington state department of veterans 10
affairs' September 30, 2024, veterans service officer program report 11
estimates the cost to expand the program is $160,000 per year for 12
each additional county. The legislature intends to expand the program 13
by one to two veterans service officers per biennium beginning with 14
the counties with the lowest percentage of benefits received, until 15
all counties are at or above the national average.16
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 43.60A 17
RCW to read as follows: 18
The department must support veterans by providing information 19
regarding available veterans services. Subject to the availability of 20
amounts appropriated from the veterans service officer fund for the 21
specific purposes provided in this section, the department must:22
(1) Contact veterans within 90 days of receipt of a discharge 23
notice from the department of defense and provide information about 24
veterans benefits and services; 25
(2) Provide county-specific information on the department website 26
identifying services and resources available to veterans using 27
information provided to the department by county veterans assistance 28
programs and local branches of nationally recognized veterans service 29
organizations; and 30
(3) Beginning December 1, 2026, and every two years thereafter, 31
report to the governor and the appropriate standing committees of the 32
legislature regarding veterans services. The report must include, at 33
a minimum: 34
(a) The number of veterans residing in each county;35
(b) The number and type of veterans services available in each 36
county; 37
(c) The number of veterans served in the reporting period by the 38
department, veterans service officer program, and counties 39
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contracting with the department for veterans services, including the 1
number of veterans served who reside in an adjacent county;2
(d) The number of claims filed in the reporting period by 3
veterans service organizations contracting with the department;4
(e) The percentage of veterans served in the reporting period who 5
received service-related disability and nonservice-connected 6
veterans' pensions; and 7
(f) Identification of: 8
(i) Each county where the percentage of the veteran population 9
receiving service-related disability and nonservice-connected 10
veterans' pensions is below the national average; and11
(ii) Each county that does not provide access to a veterans 12
service officer through the veterans' assistance program defined in 13
RCW 73.08.005, through a contract with the department, through the 14
veterans service officer program described in RCW 43.60A.230, or 15
directly through the department. 16
Sec. 3. RCW 43.60A.230 and 2019 c 223 s 1 are each amended to 17
read as follows: 18
(1) There is created in the department the veterans service 19
officer program. The purpose of the veterans service officer program 20
is to provide funding to underserved eligible counties to establish 21
and maintain a veterans service officer within the county. "Eligible 22
counties," for the purposes of this section, means counties ((with a 23
population of one hundred thousand or less )) where the percentage of 24
the veteran population receiving federal disability or pension 25
compensation is below the national average. 26
(2) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated in the 27
veterans service officer fund under RCW 43.60A.235 for the specific 28
purposes provided in this section, the department must:29
(a) Establish a process to educate local governments, veterans, 30
and those still serving in the national guard or armed forces reserve 31
of the veterans service officer program; 32
(b) Develop partnerships with local governments to assist in 33
establishing and maintaining local veterans service officers in 34
eligible counties who elect to have a veterans service officer; and35
(c) Provide funding to support eligible counties in establishing 36
and maintaining local accredited veterans service officers. ((Funding 37
is provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Funding may only be 38
provided to support the equivalent of one full-time veterans service 39
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officer per eligible county. )) The department shall prioritize 1
additional funding to eligible counties with the lowest percentage of 2
the veteran population receiving federal disability or pension 3
compensation, and then to eligible counties without a veterans 4
service officer.5
(3) The application process for the veterans service officer 6
program must be prescribed as to manner and form by the department.7
(4) The department may adopt rules necessary to implement this 8
section. The department shall include a requirement that any county 9
that participates in the veterans service officer program must allow 10
any veteran residing in an adjacent county access to the county's 11
veterans service officer.12
(5) For purposes of this section, "veterans service officer" 13
means an accredited veterans service officer funded by the veterans 14
service officer fund created in RCW 43.60A.235.15
Sec. 4. RCW 43.60A.235 and 2019 c 223 s 2 are each amended to 16
read as follows: 17
(1) There is created in the custody of the state treasurer an 18
account to be known as the veterans service officer fund. Revenues to 19
the fund consist of appropriations by the legislature, private 20
contributions, and all other sources deposited in the fund.21
(2) Expenditures from the fund may only be used for the purposes 22
of the veterans service officer program under RCW 43.60A.230 and 23
section 2 of this act , including administrative expenses. Only the 24
director, or the director's designee, may authorize expenditures. The 25
account is subject to allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW, 26
but an appropriation is not required for expenditures.27
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