SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares the following:(a) California veterans should receive ample information and resources to assist their transition into civilian life. Though California is home to nearly 1.9 million veterans, California veterans utilize fewer benefits than their peers at the national level. Further, 50 percent of post-9/11 veterans experience difficulty transitioning to civilian life and are experiencing higher rates of disabilities than previous generations of veterans. Young post-9/11 veterans also experience higher unemployment rates than their civilian counterparts.
(b) The federal Transition Goals, Plans and Success (TGPS) program, formerly known as the Transition Assistance Program, was created in 1990 to inform and assist veterans in understanding their Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits. However, TGPS workshops provide information specific to the state where a veteran is immediately ending his or her service and not to the location of permanent residence. Veterans who were planning to move to California after their service do not receive information about how to best coordinate their VA benefits with existing California benefits. A California-specific transition assistance program would ensure that all veterans residing in California receive the resources and information they need to successfully transition into civilian life.
(c) It is the intent of the Legislature that the Department of Veterans Affairs utilize its existing personnel and other resources, including its existing CalVet Internet Web site, to disseminate California-specific transition assistance information developed pursuant to Section 90 of the Military and Veterans Code, as added by Section 2 of this act. It is also the intent of the Legislature that the Department of Veterans Affairs utilize the work and research produced by the California Interagency Council on Veterans Employment CAL TAP Sub-Workgroup.