CA AB1618

Establishes a competitive grant program administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs using existing state funds to award grants to certified California veteran service providers for supportive services including housing assistance, health services, counseling, employment assistance, and case management.

Creates a certification process for veteran service providers requiring nonprofit 501(c)(3) or (c)(19) status, demonstrated history of serving veterans, fiscal management capacity, current compliance with state filing requirements, and submission of articles of incorporation, IRS determination letter, and three years of audit reports.

Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to adopt regulations by July 1, 2019 defining grant application criteria, scoring processes, data collection, accountability measures, and criteria for supporting the state's strategic plan for veteran transition assistance.

Grants approved certifications are valid for three years and may be used by other state departments or agencies; the department may decertify providers that no longer meet requirements prior to expiration.

Requires the department to maintain a public list of certified providers on its website and provide a progress report to the Legislature by April 1, 2019 on regulation development status.