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Committee hears bill to expand veteran service officer support and outreach
Summary
House Bill 1102 would require outreach to recently discharged service members and prioritize expansion of county veteran service officer (VSO) support in counties where fewer veterans receive federal disability or pension benefits than the national average; supporters said the measure would connect more veterans to earned benefits.
The Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections Committee on March 21 heard Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 1102, which expands the veterans service officer (VSO) program and adds outreach requirements for recently discharged service members.
William, committee staff, explained the current program (created in 2019) funds VSOs in underserved counties and that the bill would require the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) to contact discharged veterans within 90 days after receiving a discharge notice from the Department of Defense to inform them about available benefits and services. The bill would also change the definition of an eligible county from one with population under 100,000 to one where the percentage of veterans receiving federal disability or pension compensation is below the national average, and would prioritize placement of VSOs in counties with the lowest percentage of veterans receiving federal benefits. The bill contains an intent section to expand the program by one or two VSOs per biennium, requires WDVA to adopt rules, mandates that participating counties allow adjacent-county veterans access to funded VSOs, and requires biennial reporting beginning December 2026. William reported a four‑year outlook fiscal impact of approximately $820,000 tied to notification and reporting requirements; the fiscal note did not include costs for creating new VSO positions because that would be subject to appropriation.
Representative Shavers, the prime sponsor, said the bill addresses gaps in veteran access to earned benefits across Washington and the importance of proactively connecting recently separated veterans to services. David Fuente, director of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs, testified in support and outlined the economic and individual benefits of ensuring veterans access federal disability and other VA benefits, noting the national average for veterans receiving VA disability compensation is about 32 percent and that Washington has 25 counties below that rate.
Representatives of veterans service organizations — including Alan Acosta of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Susan Woods of the Veterans Legislative Coalition, and Charles Horton of AMVETS — testified in support, describing how VSOs help veterans obtain compensation, health care and other benefits and arguing the program produces economic and health outcomes for veterans and local communities.
The committee closed the hearing; testimony included a large number of pro submissions (101 pro non‑testifiers and two con non‑testifiers were recorded).
