Bill > H3172

This bill establishes a special commission composed of 11 members, including legislative leaders from the joint committee on veterans and federal affairs, representatives from state departments and associations, the veterans' benefits commissioner for Boston, and two unaffiliated veterans, to study and recommend improvements to the services and support provided to military veterans in the Commonwealth. The commission will examine current laws, regulations, and practices, analyze how veterans are identified and receive services, compare available resources to the needs of veterans, and oversee two sub-commissions focused on higher education resources for veterans and their experiences with court diversion programs, which are legal processes designed to offer alternatives to traditional sentencing. Additionally, the commission will assess the financial impact of the current system for funding veterans' benefits on local governments and explore alternative financing and administration methods, such as regionalization, to enhance efficiency and service quality, with a mandate to report its findings and legislative recommendations by December 1, 2015.