MS SB2859

Appropriates $6,260,639.00 from the State General Fund and $41,952,620.00 from special funds to the Veterans Affairs Board for fiscal year 2016 (July 1, 2015 - June 30, 2016).

Authorizes 78 permanent full-time positions, 543 time-limited full-time positions, and 76 part-time positions for the board.

Provides $250,000 for care of indigent/low-income Mississippi veterans and surviving spouses in state veterans homes under the "Hilton R. 'Jack' Vance Act of 1997."

Grants the Veterans Affairs Board authority to retroactively reimburse burial fees for veterans' spouses/dependents (up to $17,000) and daily care charges for service-connected veterans dating to March 21, 2007.

Requires the board to maintain complete accounting and personnel records in the same format as Fiscal Year 2015 and grants continued authority for planning and development of the North Mississippi Veterans' Memorial Cemetery.