HB 6855 Summary

• Establishes a Board of Trustees for the Department of Veterans' Affairs with 18 voting members, including two residents of the Veterans' Home, to advise on operations and review regulations regarding admission, discharge, and fees.

• Requires the Commissioner of Veterans' Affairs to develop and submit a report by February 1, 2016, containing plans for transitional and permanent supportive housing, on-campus work programs, and assessments of 13 specific recommendations from the Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee.

• Adds a duty for the Commissioner to provide or arrange housing for any veteran residing at the Veterans' Home if it closes or ceases to provide housing to veterans.

• Changes terminology from "patients" to "residents" and requires semiannual reports to residents detailing how the institutional general welfare fund was used, along with procedures for residents to submit funding suggestions.

• Mandates the Commissioner adopt regulations within 90 days allowing Veterans' Home residents and their representatives to file written complaints about policies, procedures, and administrative decisions, with specified investigation and response timelines.