File No. 58

Senate, March 19, 2008

The Committee on Labor and Public Employees reported through SEN. PRAGUE of the 19th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the bill ought to pass.

AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE GOVERNOR'S BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING MILITARY AFFAIRS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 15-98 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2008):

(a) The Connecticut Wing Civil Air Patrol shall be within the Military Department [of Public Safety] and may expend funds, within available appropriations, for the acquisition, installation, conditioning, rental and maintenance of equipment and facilities and for expenses incurred in connection with senior and cadet training; provided no funds shall be expended for the purpose of uniforms or personal effects, or for salaries of members of said civil air patrol, except as set forth in subsection (b) of this section.

(b) The wing commander of the Connecticut Wing Civil Air Patrol may employ clerical assistance at headquarters for such duties as may be required by the wing commander. The commander of the Connecticut Wing Civil Air Patrol may issue vouchers for all expenditures covered by this section, and the Comptroller shall convert such vouchers into warrants, and the Treasurer shall pay the same out of the General Fund.

Sec. 2. Subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 31-236 of the 2008 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2008):

(2) (A) If, in the opinion of the administrator, the individual has left suitable work voluntarily and without good cause attributable to the employer, until such individual has earned at least ten times such individual's benefit rate, provided whenever an individual voluntarily leaves part-time employment under conditions that would render the individual ineligible for benefits, such individual's ineligibility shall be limited as provided in subsection (b) of this section, if applicable, and provided further, no individual shall be ineligible for benefits if the individual leaves suitable work (i) for good cause attributable to the employer, including leaving as a result of changes in conditions created by the individual's employer, (ii) to care for a seriously ill spouse or child, or parent domiciled with the individual, provided such illness is documented by a licensed physician, (iii) due to the discontinuance of transportation, other than the individual's personally owned vehicle, used to get to and from work, provided no reasonable alternative transportation is available, (iv) to protect the individual or a child domiciled with the individual from becoming or remaining a victim of domestic violence, as defined in section 17b-112a, provided such individual has made reasonable efforts to preserve the employment, but the employer's account shall not at any time be charged with respect to any voluntary leaving that falls under subparagraph (A)(iv) of this subdivision, or (v) for a separation from employment that occurs during the period beginning on July 1, 2007, and ending on June 30, [2008] 2014, to accompany a spouse who is on active duty with the armed forces of the United States and is required to relocate by the armed forces, but the employer's account shall not at any time be charged with respect to any voluntary leaving that falls under subparagraph (A)(v) of this subdivision; or (B) if, in the opinion of the administrator, the individual has been discharged or suspended for felonious conduct, conduct constituting larceny of property or service, the value of which exceeds twenty-five dollars, or larceny of currency, regardless of the value of such currency, wilful misconduct in the course of the individual's employment, or participation in an illegal strike, as determined by state or federal laws or regulations, until such individual has earned at least ten times the individual's benefit rate; provided an individual who (i) while on layoff from regular work, accepts other employment and leaves such other employment when recalled by the individual's former employer, (ii) leaves work that is outside the individual's regular apprenticeable trade to return to work in the individual's regular apprenticeable trade, (iii) has left work solely by reason of governmental regulation or statute, or (iv) leaves part-time work to accept full-time work, shall not be ineligible on account of such leaving and the employer's account shall not at any time be charged with respect to such separation, unless such employer has elected payments in lieu of contributions.

Sec. 3. Section 17a-453d of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2008):

The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, in collaboration with the Department of Children and Families, the state Department of Veterans' Affairs and the Military Department, shall provide behavioral health services, on a transitional basis, for [the dependents and] any (1) Connecticut resident who is a member of any [reserve] component of the armed forces of the United States who has been called to active service in the armed forces of this state or the United States for Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom, or (2) Connecticut resident who is a dependent of any such member. Such transitional services shall be provided when no Department of Defense coverage for such services is available or such member or dependent of any such member is not eligible for such services through the Department of Defense, until an approved application is received from the federal Department of Veterans' Affairs and coverage is available to such member and such member's dependents.

The following fiscal impact statement and bill analysis are prepared for the benefit of members of the General Assembly, solely for the purpose of information, summarization, and explanation, and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose:

OFA Fiscal Note

State Impact:

Note: GF=General Fund

Municipal Impact:

Explanation

Section 1 of the bill transfers responsibility and corresponding funding for the Connecticut Wing Civil Air Patrol from the Department of Public Safety to the Military Department. This would require transferring the current Civil Air Patrol funding amount of $36,758 from the Department of Public Safety to the Military Department. This would result in no additional fiscal impact to either agency.

Section 2 would result in a cost to the Department of Labor's Unemployment Compensation Fund. The bill extends the timeframe, from June 30, 2008 to June 30, 2014, in which individuals are eligible to apply for unemployment compensation benefits to accompany a spouse who is on active duty and is required by the armed forces of the United States to relocate. Based on activity to date, the annual cost to the fund is estimated to be $140,000.¹

The portion of unemployment claims attributable to state employees (.74%) is paid from the unemployment compensation account administered by the State Comptroller and is estimated to be $1,100 annually. The portion of unemployment claims made by municipalities (2.0%) is estimated to be $2,800 annually.

Section 3 extends the transitional behavioral health services that the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) can provide to include active duty armed forces members and their families. There are an estimated 10,200 active duty members deployed since 9/11. The bill also expands the collaboration of this program to include the Military Department and the Department of Veterans' Affairs. It is anticipated that the existing funding can support the expansion through FY 09. Due to the recent implementation of the program and the uncertainty of the growth it is unclear what impact the bill will have in FY 10 and the out years.

DMHAS's Military Support Program (MSP) currently supports reservists who have been called to active duty since 9/11. The transitional behavioral health services are provided when no Department of Defense or federal VA coverage is available. The MSP was established with $891,000 in funding in a restricted non-lapsing account (established in statute). The program started in March 2007 and has since expended $190,000 from that account.

Since March of 2007, the MSP has received 339 calls; 200 individuals have received case management services and 181 individuals have been referred to outpatient counseling.

In addition to the non-lapsing account, DMHAS's Personal Services account funds two staff that supports the MSP.

The Out Years

The annualized ongoing fiscal impact of Sections 2 and 3 identified above would continue into the future subject to inflation. Section 1 would not result in any out year fiscal impact.



OLR Bill Analysis

SB 47

AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE GOVERNOR'S BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING MILITARY AFFAIRS.

SUMMARY:

This bill (1) expands the number of agencies that must provide behavioral health services to qualified military service members and their dependents, (2) extends the services to active-duty armed forces members and their dependents, and (3) adds state residency as a condition of eligibility for all members and dependents.

The bill continues to June 30, 2014, from June 30, 2008, the eligibility for unemployment compensation claims of military spouses who voluntarily leave their jobs to accompany a spouse required to relocate for active-duty service in the U.S. Armed Forces. Current law applies to spouses who leave their jobs between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008.

This bill transfers the Connecticut Wing Civil Air Patrol from the Department of Public Safety to the Military Department.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2008

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES PROGRAM

Behavioral Health Services

Current law requires the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) to work with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to provide transitional behavioral health services for (1) National Guard members and reservists called to active service in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom and (2) dependents of these service members.

The bill (1) adds the state Department of Veterans Affairs and Military Department to the agencies with which DMHAS must work to provide the services, (2) extends the services to all members of any component of the U.S. Armed Forces and their dependents, and (3) adds Connecticut residency as a condition of getting services. By law, the services must be provided only if no Department of Defense coverage is available or the member or dependent is ineligible for such coverage.

COMMITTEE ACTION

Select Committee on Veterans' Affairs

Joint Favorable Change of Reference

Labor and Public Employees Committee

Joint Favorable

¹ Four individuals filed for benefits in the first quarter, and seven individuals filed for benefits in the second quarter.