A4016

An Act concerning a veterans’ facility operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs in Ocean or Monmouth County, supplementing chapter 21 of Title 38A of the New Jersey Statutes, amending various parts of the statutory law, and repealing various parts of the statutory law.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. (New section) a. The Department of Veterans Affairs, in conjunction with the Department of the Treasury, shall initiate the purchase of real property suitable and appropriate, after improvements, for operation as a veterans’ facility as defined in N.J.S.38A:23-1. The property shall be located in Ocean or Monmouth County, and shall be no more than one mile from an acute care facility. The facility shall be named, the “Ronald S. Dancer Veterans Memorial Home.”

b. As used in this section:

“Acute care facility” means any public general hospital operated and licensed by the State that provides hospital services such as medical and surgical, cardiac, psychiatric, and intensive and critical care; comprehensive rehabilitation; magnetic resonance imaging and computerized tomography, lithotripsy; and renal dialysis.

"Improvements" means any actual or proposed physical changes to real property resulting from the provision of work, services, or material by a contractor, subcontractor, or supplier pursuant to a contract, and includes the demolition, clearance, removal, relocation, renovation, alteration, construction, reconstruction, installation, or repair of a building or structure. "Improvement" also includes, but is not limited to, excavation, digging, drilling, drainage, irrigation, land clearance, grading, or landscaping.

c. An amount to be determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs, in conjunction with the Department of the Treasury, shall be appropriated annually from the General Fund to the Department of Veterans Affairs for such purchase of the real property and for the improvements thereto, and including, but not the limited to, for costs associated therewith such as the costs of appraisal, economic and environmental analyses, or engineering, planning, design, architectural, survey, or other professional services.

d. The veterans’ facility shall be fully operational within five years following the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

The veterans’ facility shall provide transportation to and from the acute care facility for hospital services as deemed necessary and appropriate by the administrator or assistant administrator.

e. The Commissioner and the State Treasurer shall prepare and submit periodic reports at least once every six months to the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), on the progress of the veterans’ facility established pursuant to this section.

2. N.J.S.38A:21-18 is amended to read as follows:

38A:21-18. The department, through its divisions, shall:

a. supervise and operate all New Jersey [Veterans'] Veterans Memorial Homes, including: the New Jersey [Veterans'] Veterans Memorial Home-Menlo Park; the New Jersey [Veterans'] Veterans Memorial Home-Vineland; [and] the New Jersey [Veterans'] Veterans Memorial Home-Paramus; and the Ronald S. Dancer Veterans Memorial Home;

b. supervise and operate all New Jersey [Veterans’] Veterans Memorial Cemeteries, including the New Jersey [Veterans’] Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Arneytown; and

c. supervise and operate all veterans’ homeless shelter facilities owned by the State, including Veterans Haven North and Veterans Haven South.

(cf: N.J.S.38A:21-18)

3. N.J.S.38A:23-19 is amended to read as follows:

38A:23-19. a. Notwithstanding the provisions of any law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Affairs shall transmit a weekly report on the status of the State [veterans'] veterans memorial homes to the Commissioner of the Department of Health whenever a public health emergency, pursuant to the "Emergency Health Powers Act," P.L.2005, c.222 (C.26:13-1 et seq.), has been declared by the Governor and is in effect. The weekly report shall include:

(1) the number of residents and staff in each [veterans'] veterans home, including comparisons to previous reports;

(2) any significant health risks posed to the residents and staff in each [veterans'] veterans home due to the public health emergency;

(3) any changes in operating procedures in each [veterans'] veterans home due to the public health emergency; and

(4) the amount of personal protective equipment available to residents and staff at each [veterans'] veterans home.

b. As used in this section:

(1) "[veterans'] Veterans home" means the New Jersey [Veterans'] Veterans Memorial Home-Menlo Park, the New Jersey [Veterans'] Veterans Memorial Home-Vineland, [and] the New Jersey [Veterans'] Veterans Memorial Home-Paramus, and the Ronald S. Dancer Veterans Memorial Home.

(2) "personal protective equipment" means any items commonly used to protect an individual from bacterial or viral infections, including, but not limited to, disinfecting wipes, disposable gloves, disposable gowns, face shields, N95 face masks, surgical masks, or parts thereof.

(cf: N.J.S.38A:23-19)

4. N.J.S.38A:23-12 is amended to read as follows:

38A:23-12. There are established in the Department of Veterans Affairs [four] five advisory councils known as:

a. The New Jersey [Veterans'] Veterans Memorial Home Advisory Council-Menlo Park;

b. The New Jersey [Veterans'] Veterans Memorial Home Advisory Council-Vineland;

c. The New Jersey [Veterans'] Veterans Memorial Home Advisory Council-Paramus; [and]

d. The Ronald S. Dancer Veterans Memorial Home Advisory Council; and

e. The New Jersey [Veterans'] Veterans Memorial Cemetery Advisory Council-Arneytown.

Each advisory council shall consist of seven members, at least five of whom are veterans, to be appointed by the commissioner. The term of each council member, except for the initial members, shall be three years commencing on July 1 and ending on June 30 of the third year thereafter, and any vacancy shall be filled for the unexpired term only.

The members of the advisory council shall receive no compensation for their services but shall be reimbursed for actual expenditures incurred in the performance of their duty. The members are subject to removal by the commissioner at any time for good and sufficient cause.

(cf: N.J.S.38A:23-12)

5. N.J.S.38A:23-16 is amended to read as follows:

38A:23-16. In conjunction with the New Jersey [Veterans'] Veterans Memorial Home Advisory Council-Menlo Park, the New Jersey [Veterans'] Veterans Memorial Home Advisory Council-Vineland, the New Jersey [Veterans'] Veterans Memorial Home Advisory Council-Paramus, the Ronald S. Dancer Veterans Memorial Home Advisory Council, and the New Jersey [Veterans'] Veterans Memorial Cemetery Advisory Council-Arneytown, any reference in any law, contract, or document to the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs or the department shall be deemed to mean and refer to the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Veterans Affairs.

(cf: N.J.S.38A:23-16)

6. Section 2 of P.L.1991, c.378 (C.45:9-27.11) is amended to read as follows:

2. As used in this act:

"Accredited program" means an education program for physician assistants which is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant or its predecessor or successor agency.

"Board" means the State Board of Medical Examiners created pursuant to R.S.45:9-1.

"Committee" means the Physician Assistant Advisory Committee established pursuant to section 11 of P.L.1991, c.378 (C.45:9-27.20).

"Director" means the Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs.

"Health care facility" means a health care facility as defined in section 2 of P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-2).

"Institution" means any of the charitable, hospital, relief and training institutions, noninstitutional agencies, and correctional institutions enumerated in R.S.30:1-7.

"Physician assistant" means a health professional who meets the qualifications under P.L.1991, c.378 (C.45:9-27.10 et seq.) and holds a current, valid license issued pursuant to section 4 of P.L.1991, c.378 (C.45:9-27.13).

"Physician" means a person licensed to practice medicine and surgery pursuant to chapter 9 of Title 45 of the Revised Statutes.

"[Veterans'] Veterans home" means the New Jersey [Veterans'] Veterans Memorial Home - Menlo Park, the New Jersey [Veterans'] Veterans Memorial Home - Vineland, [and] the New Jersey [Veterans'] Veterans Memorial Home – Paramus, and the Ronald S. Dancer Veterans Memorial Home.

(cf: P.L.2015, c.224, s.1)

7. The following sections are repealed:

Section 2 of P.L.2009, c.220 (C.38A:3-2b5);

Section 1 of P.L.2021, c.214 (C.38A:3-2b7); and

Section 1 of P.L.2021, c.219 (C.38A:3-2b8).

8. This act shall take effect on the first day of the sixth month next following enactment, except that the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of the Treasury may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.

STATEMENT

Ocean and Monmouth County have two of the highest veteran-populated counties in the State, with approximately 30,051 and 23,148 veterans respectively.

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs, in conjunction with the Department of the Treasury, to initiate the purchase of property for use as a veterans memorial home in Ocean or Monmouth County. The memorial home will be named the Ronald S. Dancer Veterans Memorial Home after former Assemblyman Ronald S. Dancer. Currently, there are three veterans memorial homes, located in Menlo Park, Vineland, and Paramus.

The home will be no more than one mile from an acute care facility. As defined in the bill, “acute care facility” means any public general hospital operated and licensed by the State that provides hospital services such as medical and surgical, cardiac, psychiatric, and intensive and critical care; comprehensive rehabilitation; magnetic resonance imaging and computerized tomography; lithotripsy; and renal dialysis.

The departments will have suitable and appropriate improvements made to the property to operate as a veterans memorial home. As defined in the bill, "improvements" includes any actual or proposed physical changes to real property resulting from the provision of work, services, or material by a contractor, or subcontractor.

An amount to be determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs, in conjunction with the Department of the Treasury, will be appropriated annually from the General Fund to the Department of Veterans Affairs for the purchase of the real property and for the improvements thereto.

The veterans facility must be fully operational within five years following the effective date of the bill, and will provide transportation to and from the acute care facility for hospital services as deemed necessary and appropriate by the administrator or assistant administrator.

The Commissioner and the State Treasurer will prepare and submit periodic reports at least once every six months to the Legislature on the progress of the facility.

The bill also updates various sections of law concerning the veterans memorial homes to add the veterans memorial home established by the bill, including the supervision and operation of the homes, advisory councils, and reporting requirements. In addition, the bill repeals repetitive sections of law concerning the veterans memorial homes.