Veterans Affairs – Week of March 3, 2011

STAFF CONTACT:  Julie T. Simon

SF 87 – Falsely claiming military medals, decorations

SF 296 – National Guard Education Assistance program funds

SF 309 – Military disability payments in IPERS protection occupations

SF 329 – Veterans benefits appeals services advertisements

SSB 1134 – Injured Veterans Grant program

SSB 1173 – Post-Vietnam veterans’ bonus fund

COMMITTEE ACTION:

SF 87 creates a criminal offense for falsely claiming the receipt of certain military medals or decorations. The offense is a serious misdemeanor with a fine of $315 to $1,875. The court may also order imprisonment of up to one year. If the medal or decoration involved is the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, Air Force Cross, Silver Star, Purple Heart, or a replacement or duplicate of these medals, the violation is elevated to an aggravated misdemeanor with a fine of $625 to $6,250, and a court also  may order imprisonment of up to two years. [3/1: short form]

SF 296 provides that funds appropriated for the National Guard Education Assistance program not revert to the State’s general fund but be available for use by the program for the next fiscal year until one year after the declared end of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, and Operation Enduring Freedom. Operation Iraqi Freedom ended on August 31, 2010, and was succeeded by Operation New Dawn on September 1, 2010. The bill takes effect upon enactment and applies retroactively to September 1, 2010. [3/1: short form]

SF 309 requires that any disability payments earned for service in the armed services of the United States not be used to offset allowances within the Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System for members who are employed in a protection occupation. The committee requested that the legislation be referred to State Government Committee for further review. [3/1: short form]

SF 329 requires that a person advertising veterans benefits appeal services disclose in the advertisement that the same services are also available free of charge through the county commission of veteran affairs offices. This stipulation applies to print and electronic media including radio, television and computer networks. There is a civil penalty of up to $1,000 for each violation, assessed by the district court in an action initiated by the Attorney General and that each day of a continuing violation will be counted as a separate violation. The Attorney General’s office is given the discretion to accept a civil penalty in settlement of an investigation. Any civil penalty recovered will be deposited in the Veterans Trust Fund. [3/1: short form]

SSB 1134 allows a seriously-injured veteran who has previously received an injured veterans grant to be eligible to apply for and receive an additional grant from the Injured Veterans Grant Program for a subsequent serious injury received in the line of duty unrelated to the first injury. The Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs requested consideration of the legislation after a soldier who had received a grant was re-deployed and received another serious injury in that service. [3/1: short form]

SSB 1173 would create a veterans’ bonus fund within the State Treasury for the provision of bonuses to U.S. military veterans who served during the period of certain conflicts. The bonus fund would be available to members of the United States Armed Forces who served in active duty during conflicts in Lebanon, Granada, Panama and the Persian Gulf. The bill provides that veterans who served in conflict service areas during specified dates could receive a total bonus of up to $500 for their service, and veterans who did not serve in a conflict service area could receive a total of up to $300. Computation of such payments would be based upon months of service either in or outside of a conflict service area. The proposal in based on similar bonus funds given to Iowans who served in previous conflicts, such as World War II, Korea and Vietnam. [3/1: short form]