§ 29-B — Veterans' liaisons

§ 29-b. Veterans' liaisons. 1. As used in this section the term "state\nagency" shall mean any department, board, bureau, division, commission,\ncouncil or committee within the executive branch.\n 2. Each state agency shall designate at least one employee to act as a\nliaison with veterans within such agency or served by such agency. Such\nliaison shall be funded from existing appropriations in each agency.\nUpon designating a veterans' liaison, which shall be done within ninety\ndays, all state agencies shall inform the department in a form and\nmanner to be prescribed by the department. An employee designated to act\nas a veterans' liaison must first complete an initial training provided\nby appropriate staff designated by the department before assuming the\nduties of a veterans' liaison. Thereafter all veterans' liaisons shall\nannually receive supplemental trainings provided by the department. A\nstate agency may also, in consultation with the department, prescribe\nsuch additional trainings for its veterans' liaisons as it deems\nnecessary and relevant to assisting veterans employed or served by the\nagency.\n 3. Each state agency shall conspicuously post the name and contact\ninformation of its current veterans' liaisons on its website and a\nlisting of all state agency veterans' liaisons shall be maintained by\nthe department and updated at least annually on its website.\n 4. The duties of a veterans' liaison may include but not be limited\nto: (a) providing information and assistance to veterans regarding\nbenefits and services available to veterans at the liaison's agency or\nother state agencies including the department; (b) ensuring active\ncommunication, coordination and cooperation are maintained with members\nof the public as well as other state and local agencies regarding the\nagency's efforts to assist veterans; (c) advising agency staff as to how\nto identify and address the unique needs of veterans within or served by\nthe agency; (d) informing veterans within the agency as to applicable\nemployee personnel policies; (e) promoting the recruitment, retention,\nand professional development of veteran employees within the agency; and\n(f) making efforts to identify veterans as defined in section one of\nthis article within or served by the agency on an annual basis.\n 5. Information received pursuant to this section will be provided to\nthe department. Information collected pursuant to this section shall be\nprotected under article six-A of the public officers law against\ndisclosure of confidential material and used only to determine the\nnumber of veterans who are employed by or seeking services from the\nstate of New York.\n 6. The department shall develop guidelines and a best practices\ndocument for veterans' liaisons in consultation with state agencies and\nwith input solicited from the veterans' liaisons designated by such\nagencies. Further, the department shall include engagement with\nveterans' liaisons as part of its efforts to develop collaborative\nrelationships with state agencies pursuant to subdivision thirty-seven\nof section four of this article.\n 7. The annual report required by subdivision seventeen of section four\nof this article shall contain a description of the department's\nactivities and collaborations with veterans' liaisons and any\nrecommendations of the department with respect to the veterans' liaisons\nprogram established under this section.\n