BILL NUMBER: ACR 36 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
RESOLUTION CHAPTER 199
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE SEPTEMBER 25, 2015
ADOPTED IN SENATE SEPTEMBER 9, 2015
ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 2, 2015
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 2, 2015
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 1, 2015
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 17, 2015
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JULY 13, 2015
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Gray
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Brough, Chávez, Daly, Frazier,
Mathis, Olsen, Achadjian, Alejo, Atkins, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom,
Bonilla, Bonta, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chang, Chau, Chiu,
Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dahle, Dodd, Eggman, Beth Gaines, Cristina
Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gordon, Grove, Hadley, Harper,
Roger Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey,
Levine, Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mayes, Medina, Melendez, Mullin,
Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Patterson, Quirk, Rendon, Rodriguez,
Salas, Santiago, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber,
Wilk, Williams, and Wood)
(Coauthors: Senators Anderson, Bates, Block, Hall, Hertzberg,
Moorlach, Nguyen, Nielsen, Roth, and Vidak)
FEBRUARY 27, 2015
Relative to the California Association of County Veterans Service
Officers.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 36, Gray. California Association of County Veterans Service
Officers.
This measure would recognize the California Association of County
Veterans Service Officers for helping veterans secure their federal
and state benefits over the past 70 years.
WHEREAS, Some California counties established County Veterans
Service Officers (CVSO) after World War I to assist California's
veterans to obtain the federal veterans benefits they earned by
virtue of their service to our country; and
WHEREAS, San Bernardino established the first CVSO office in
California in 1926, and at least 10 other counties with large veteran
populations also established CVSO offices between World War I and
World War II; and
WHEREAS, At the end of World War II, most California counties
recognized the need to help their returning veterans to obtain
federal benefits and quickly established CVSO offices in their
counties; and
WHEREAS, In 1945, with the end of World War II and the return of
thousands of veterans to California, the California Association of
County Veterans Service Officers (CACVSO) was formed; and
WHEREAS, The CACVSO was created to assist returning veterans in
accessing their earned entitlements as authorized by Congress, such
as the GI Bill for education and the veteran home loan program, as
well as compensation and pension benefits for wounded veterans and
their families; and
WHEREAS, The CACVSO promotes state and federal legislation and
policy supportive of veterans' rights and issues, in harmony with our
national obligation to veterans of the United States Armed Forces;
and
WHEREAS, The CACVSO provides a medium for the exchange of ideas,
information, training, and support to facilitate delivery of services
to nearly two million California veterans; and
WHEREAS, The CACVSO recognizes the importance and merit of the
congressionally chartered veterans service organizations and is
committed to fostering a mutually beneficial relationship with them
for the common good of all veterans, since it is the intent of all
these organizations that every veteran residing in California
receives the benefits and services to which they are entitled by law
and moral obligation; and
WHEREAS, The CACVSO is an organization of professional veterans
advocates whose purpose is to mutually promote the professionalism of
all CVSOs; and
WHEREAS, Through CVSOs, the CACVSO is committed to California
counties to provide a vital and efficient system of services and
advocacy for veterans, their dependents, and their survivors; and
WHEREAS, The State of California has adopted and is currently
using the CVSO model that is used in 27 other states as the primary
method of delivering services to veterans; and
WHEREAS, In California, a CVSO plays a critical role in the
veterans advocacy system and is often the initial contact in the
community for veterans services; and
WHEREAS, The CVSOs and the California Department of Veterans
Affairs work closely together to assist California's veterans in
obtaining federal and state veterans benefits, with CVSOs serving as
the "boots on the ground" for the department; and
WHEREAS, CVSOs are primarily funded by the counties and receive
some state funding; and
WHEREAS, Since 1995, CVSOs have assisted veterans in qualifying
for and receiving $4.6 billion in federal benefits, which are sent
directly to veterans and ultimately spent in the local economy; and
WHEREAS, In the 2013-14 fiscal year, CVSOs assisted California's
veterans in filing claims with the federal government that resulted
in payments of more than $545 million, an increase of over 23 percent
from the $445 million that the CVSOs helped veterans claim during
the previous fiscal year, which is attributable to increased state
funding from $2.6 million in 2013 to $5.6 million in 2014, which
allowed CVSO offices to increase outreach activities and hire
additional staff to assist veterans in the claims process; and
WHEREAS, CVSOs are responsible for planning and administering a
countywide program, so they must be knowledgeable about all
entitlements, programs, and ancillary services as administered by the
United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of
Defense, the California Department of Veterans Affairs, and other
federal, state, and local agencies; and
WHEREAS, The CACVSO has raised the professionalism of all CVSOs
through training and working to improve the federal claims process
with the California Department of Veterans Affairs, the United States
Department of Veterans Affairs, and congressionally chartered
veterans service organizations; and
WHEREAS, The CACVSO promotes the welfare and rights of veterans
statewide through legislative advocacy, provides training and
education to CVSOs and their employees, promotes the mission of CVSOs
throughout the state, and provides members of the CACVSO with a
collaborative network of resources, information, and ideas; now,
therefore, be it
Resolvedby the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature commends the California
Association of County Veterans Service Officers for 70 years of
service to California's veterans and their families through the
advancement of professionalism within its ranks and the pursuit of
advocacy across all levels of government so that veterans may receive
the benefits to which they are entitled by virtue of their military
service to our country; and be it further
Resolved, That the CACVSO has maintained and nurtured the high
professional standards of California's CVSOs so that these veterans
advocates can fulfill the CACVSO's slogan of "Serving Those Who
Served"; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.