A 6503: Requires the department of veterans' services to establish and maintain, in consultation and collaboration with other state agencies, a searchable database on the department's website providing resources available in the state for veterans, members of the uniformed services, and their families.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6503 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY March 5, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. DAIS -- read once and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs AN ACT to amend the veterans' services law, in relation to directing the department of veterans' services to establish and maintain, in consul- tation and collaboration with other state agencies, a searchable data- base of resources available in the state for veterans, members of the uniformed services, and their families The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 4 of the veterans' services law is amended by 2 adding a new subdivision 40 to read as follows: 3 40. (a) To establish and maintain, in consultation and collaboration 4 with other state agencies including, but not limited to, the office of 5 mental health, the department of health, the office of general services, 6 the department of labor, the department of state, and the department of 7 financial services, a searchable database of resources available in the 8 state for veterans, members of the uniformed services, and their fami- 9 lies. Such database shall include but not be limited to: 10 (1) general information about and contact information for resources 11 available through federal, state, and local government agencies and 12 other organizations including, but not limited to, those relating to 13 veterans' benefits, healthcare, housing, employment, veteran-owned busi- 14 nesses, survivor benefits, substance use disorder treatment, physical 15 disabilities, educational and job benefits, tuition assistance programs, 16 health and mental health referrals, real property tax exemptions, 17 suicide prevention, and peer outreach and support; 18 (2) information about the department's mobile application, established 19 under subdivision twenty-one of this section; and 20 (3) links to the department's small business portal, established under 21 subdivision twelve of this section, the department's veterans' employ- 22 ment portal, established under subdivision thirteen of this section, the EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD05777-01-5 
 A. 6503 2 1 department's mental health, substance abuse, and physical disabilities 2 portals, established under subdivision twenty-seven of this section, and 3 the department's military sexual trauma portal, established under subdi- 4 vision thirty-two of this section. 5 (b) The database created pursuant to this subdivision shall be made 6 available on the department's website and shall be reviewed and updated 7 at least annually. 8 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 9 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend- 10 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen- 11 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and 12 completed on or before such effective date.