Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Kansas Office Of Veterans Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Kansas Office of Veterans Services outlines services, plans bill to clarify veteran definition
Summary
Kansas Office of Veterans Services (KOVS) executives described agency operations, said they will seek a statutory clarification of the definition of “veteran,” and announced a statewide claims clinic at the Prairie Band Conference Center in May.
Bill Turner, executive director of the Kansas Office of Veterans Services, told the Committee on Veterans and Military the agency provides two veterans homes, four state veterans cemeteries and field-based veteran services across Kansas, and represents roughly "350 to 400,000 veterans and their families and their dependents" in the state.
Turner said the agency has begun drafting one bill "to further clarify the definition of veterans within the state and as it applies to various programs and benefits that are available for veterans," adding the measure seeks to clarify language from earlier legislation.
Nut graf: The proposed clarification of who qualifies as a veteran for state purposes could affect eligibility for state-level veterans benefits and programs; Turner asked legislators to coordinate with agency staff as drafting proceeds.
Turner and Eric Rollater, deputy director, asked members to refer constituents to field office veteran service representatives and to the agency website (the transcript includes variant spellings for the URL). Rollater asked committee members to note two dates for a claims clinic: May 28–29 at the Prairie Band Conference Center (attached to the casino), and encouraged constituents with pending federal VA claims to attend for help getting medical examinations scheduled and claims adjudicated.
The deputy director described the agency’s field operations and said staff will aggregate service-contact and claims data for the committee’s upcoming agency report.
Ending: Turner closed by inviting members to reach out to agency staff for constituent cases and said the office will provide a fuller annual overview to the committee at a later date.
