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Committee considers bill directing study of veterans’ geographic access to benefits
Summary
HB 2193 would require the Texas Veterans Commission to study county-level counts of veterans eligible for benefits, the location and number of claims benefit advisors, and the costs of a geographically responsive support system; committee left the bill pending after no public testimony.
The Committee on Veteran Affairs heard House Bill 2193 on an unspecified date, which would direct the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) to study the number of veterans eligible for benefits in each county and how claims benefit advisors are deployed across the state.
Senator Eckhart, who laid out the bill, said the measure aims to respond to a growing veteran population that is increasingly living farther from military bases and urban centers. “Our veteran's population continues to grow. We've seen an increasing number of veterans living further away from military bases in urban centers,” Eckhart said, “This shift presents new challenges in ensuring that all veterans have access to the benefits and support they need and deserve, regardless of where they live.”
The bill would require TVC to report county-level estimates of veterans eligible for benefits, inventory the number and locations of claims benefit advisors, and analyze how advisors could be reallocated to improve access. The final report also would include an analysis of the overall cost of implementing a more geographically responsive support system, including expenses related to hiring, training, facilities, and support staff. The proposal asks TVC to study possible shared-service arrangements with existing facilities and organizations that serve veterans to reduce costs.
A resource witness from the Texas Veterans Commission attended the hearing. The committee opened and closed public testimony on HB 2193 with no members of the public testifying; the committee left the bill pending for further consideration.
