TN SB2483

County and municipal governments retain hiring authority for local veterans service offices, with employees designated as County Veterans Service Officers (CVSOs) if they served in the armed forces or County Veterans Service Representatives (CVSRs) if they did not.

Each local veterans service office must be staffed by at least one CVSO, and all CVSOs and CVSRs must obtain U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs accreditation within 6 months of appointment or face mandatory removal.

Counties with populations exceeding 75,000 (per 2020 census) may hire administrative assistants for clerical duties who are not required to hold VA accreditation.

The Tennessee Department of Veterans Services must establish minimum salary rates, publish annual staffing guidance, and provide salary grants to local governments for hiring new CVSOs and CVSRs to meet state staffing requirements.

All state funding to local veterans service offices is restricted to salaries, benefits, supplies, and training expenses, and office budgets must be published as separate line items in local government budgets.