(330 ILCS 45/0.01) (from Ch. 23, par. 3080)
Sec. 0.01. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Military Veterans Assistance Act.
(Source: P.A. 86-1324; 87-796.)
(330 ILCS 45/1) (from Ch. 23, par. 3081)
Sec. 1. The term "Overseer of military veterans assistance", as used in this Act, shall be construed to mean all persons whose duty it is, under the existing statutes, to care for, relieve or maintain, wholly or in part, any person who may be entitled to such assistance under the statutes of the State of Illinois. This Act shall not infringe upon the mandated powers and authorities vested in the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs.
(Source: P.A. 87-796.)
(330 ILCS 45/2) (from Ch. 23, par. 3082)
Sec. 2. For the assistance of military veterans, who served in the Armed Forces of the United States, whose last discharge from the service was honorable to be eligible for assistance, their families, and the families of deceased veterans with service as described in this Section who need assistance. The supervisor of general assistance or the county board shall provide such sums of money as may be just and necessary to be drawn by the commander, quartermaster or commandant of any post, ship, camp, chapter or detachment of any congressionally chartered or state chartered veterans organization, in the city or town, or the superintendent of any Veterans' Assistance Commission of the county, upon the recommendation of the assistance committee of the post, ship, camp, chapter or Veterans' Assistance Commission. If any supervisor of general assistance or county board fails or refuses after such recommendation to provide any just and necessary sums of money for such assistance, then the commander, post, chapter, or detachment or the superintendent of any Veterans' Assistance Commission located in the district of such supervisor of general assistance or such county board shall apply to the circuit court of the district or county for relief by mandamus upon the supervisor of general assistance or county board requiring him, her or it to pay, or to appropriate and pay such sums of money, and upon proof made of the justice and necessity of the claim, the circuit court shall grant such assistance. Such sums of money shall be drawn in the manner now provided by law for the assistance of the poor. Orders of commanders, quartermasters, commandants or superintendents of Veterans' Assistance Commissions shall be proper vouchers for the expenditure of such sums of money.
(Source: P.A. 87-796.)
(330 ILCS 45/3) (from Ch. 23, par. 3083)
Sec. 3. In case there is no post or camp of a military veterans organization, in any town in which it is necessary that such assistance as provided in Section 2 should be granted, the overseer of military veterans assistance shall accept and pay the orders drawn, as hereinbefore provided by the commander, quartermaster or commandant of any post or camp of a military veterans organization, upon the recommendation of an assistance committee, who shall be residents of the said town in which the assistance may be furnished.
(Source: P.A. 87-796.)
(330 ILCS 45/4) (from Ch. 23, par. 3084)
Sec. 4. Upon the taking effect of this Act, the commander of any post or camp of a military veterans organization, which shall undertake the assistance of military veterans and their families, as hereinbefore provided, before the acts of the commander, quartermaster or commandant shall be operative in any city or town, shall file with the city clerk of such city or town clerk of such town, or overseer of military veterans assistance of such town or county, a notice that said post, camp, chapter or detachment intends to undertake such assistance as is provided by this Act, and such notice shall contain the names of the assistance committee of the post, camp, chapter or detachment in such city or town, and the commander and other officers of said post, camp, chapter or detachment. And the commander of the post, camp, chapter or detachment shall annually thereafter, during the month of October, file a similar notice with the city or town clerk, or the overseer of military veterans assistance, also a detailed statement of the amount of assistance furnished during the preceding year, with the names of all persons to whom such assistance shall have been furnished, together with a brief statement in such case from the assistance committee upon whose recommendation the orders were drawn. Any person who fails or neglects so to do at the time required by this Act shall be guilty of a petty offense and fined $250 to be recovered in the name of the county in the circuit court.
(Source: P.A. 87-796.)
(330 ILCS 45/5) (from Ch. 23, par. 3085)
Sec. 5. The auditing board of any city or town, or the overseer of military veterans assistance of any city, town or county, may require of the commander, quartermaster or detachment of any post or camp of a military veterans organization, undertaking such assistance in any city or town, a bond with sufficient and satisfactory sureties for the faithful and honest discharge of their duties under this Act.
(Source: P.A. 87-796.)
(330 ILCS 45/6) (from Ch. 23, par. 3086)
Sec. 6. Overseers of military veterans assistance are hereby prohibited from sending military veterans (or their families or the families of those deceased) to any almshouse (or orphan asylum) without the full concurrence and consent of the commander and assistance committee of the post or camp of a military veterans organization having jurisdiction as provided in Sections 2 and 3 of this Act. Military veterans with families and the families of deceased veterans, shall, whenever practicable, be provided for and assisted at their homes in such city or town in which they shall have a residence, in the manner provided in Sections 2 and 3 of this Act. Needy veterans or veterans with disabilities of the classes specified in Section 2 of this Act, who are not mentally ill, and who have no families or friends with which they may be domiciled, may be sent to any veterans home. Any less fortunate veteran of either of the classes specified in Section 2 of this Act or any member of the family of any living or deceased veteran of said classes, who may be mentally ill, shall, upon the recommendation of the commander and assistance committee of such post or camp of a military veterans organization, within the jurisdiction of which the case may occur, be sent to any mental health facility and cared for as provided for indigent persons who are mentally ill.
(Source: P.A. 99-143, eff. 7-27-15.)
(330 ILCS 45/7) (from Ch. 23, par. 3087)
Sec. 7. In case there shall be within the limits of any city or town more than one post or camp of military veterans organizations, it shall be the duty of the commander of each post, camp, chapter or detachment within such limits, to send to the commander of every other post, camp, chapter or detachment, as the case may be, within said limits, on the first day of each month, a written list of the names of all persons to whom assistance has been granted during the preceding month, under the provisions of this Act.
(Source: P.A. 87-796.)
(330 ILCS 45/8) (from Ch. 23, par. 3088)
Sec. 8. The commander of any post or camp of a military veterans organization, congressionally chartered or state chartered commander, or the superintendent of any county Veterans' Assistance Commission of Illinois shall annually report to the Governor, on or before the first day of January of each year, such portions of the transactions of the aforementioned veterans' organizations relating thereto as he may deem to be of interest to that organization and the people of the State.
(Source: P.A. 87-796.)
(330 ILCS 45/9) (from Ch. 23, par. 3089)
Sec. 9. Veterans Assistance Commission.
(a) In counties having 2 or more posts, camps, chapters or detachments of military veterans organizations as may be recognized by law, a central assistance committee may be organized to be known as the Veterans Assistance Commission of such county, composed of delegates and alternates from a majority of such posts, camps, units, and chapters or ship selected annually as determined by each post, ship, camp, or chapter. When so organized a commission shall be clothed with all the powers and charged with all the duties theretofore devolving upon the different posts and chapters as provided in Section 2.
(b) The Commission superintendent and the president or chairman of the county board, or some other county officer appointed by him, shall have general oversight of the distribution of all moneys and supplies appropriated by the county for the benefit of military veterans and their families, subject to such rules, regulations, administrative procedures or audit reviews as are necessary as approved by the county board to carry out the spirit and intent of this Act. No warrant authorized under this Act may be issued for the payment of money without the presentation of an itemized statement or claim, approved by the superintendent of the Commission.
If general assistance funds are allocated to a county for assistance to military veterans and their families as provided in the Illinois Public Aid Code, the administration of such funds and of county tax funds levied for such purpose as provided in Section 5-2006 of the Counties Code shall be subject to the supervision of the Department of Human Services in accordance with the provisions of the Illinois Public Aid Code. The superintendent of the Veterans Assistance Commission must comply with the procedures and regulations adopted by the Veterans Assistance Commission and the regulations of the Department of Human Services. To further the intent of this Act of assisting military veterans, this Act is to be construed so that the Veterans Assistance Commission shall provide needed services to eligible veterans.
(Source: P.A. 102-484, eff. 8-20-21.)
(330 ILCS 45/10) (from Ch. 23, par. 3090)
Sec. 10. The executive powers of the commission shall be vested in a superintendent elected by the commission from among those who served in the armed forces of the United States. The superintendent, designated Superintendent of Veterans Assistance of the county, shall, under the direction of the commission, have charge of and maintain an office in the county building or other central location, to be used solely by the commission for carrying on its assistance work. The county shall provide the office and furnish all necessary supplies, including telephone, printing, stationery and postage therefor.
The county board shall, in any county where a Veterans Assistance Commission is organized, in addition to sums appropriated for assistance and emergency assistance purposes under this Act, appropriate such additional sums, upon recommendation of the Veterans Assistance Commission and as approved by the county board, to properly compensate the officers and employees required to administer such assistance. Such county board approval shall be based upon recognized and established salary guidelines developed by the county and used by the county to compensate county employees. If the county does not have established employee salary guidelines, the county board shall provide funds to the commission to compensate the superintendent and his employees in a just manner. The county board shall also provide funds to the commission to reimburse the superintendent, officers, delegates and employees for certain expenses which are approved by the commission. The superintendent and other employees shall be employees of the Veterans Assistance Commission, and no provision in this Section or elsewhere in this Act shall be construed to mean that they are employees of the county.
Superintendents, subject to rules formulated by the commission, shall select, as far as possible, secretaries and other employees from among honorably discharged military veterans as defined in Section 2, or their surviving spouses.
In a county with less than 2,000,000 inhabitants, the superintendent may, in conformance with subsection (f) of Section 3-9005 of the Counties Code, request legal assistance from the State's Attorney serving the county in which the Veterans Assistance Commission is located.
Superintendents of all counties subject to this Act, when required by the commission, shall give bond in the sum of $2,000 for the faithful performance of their duties.
All persons elected or selected to fill positions provided for in this Section shall be exempt from the operation and provisions of any civil service act or laws of this State, and the secretary of the commission shall be appointed by the superintendent. However, if "The Illinois Public Aid Code", as amended, becomes applicable in any county, the Department of Human Services may exercise the powers therein designated in relation to employees engaged in the administration of assistance under this Act.
(Source: P.A. 102-56, eff. 7-9-21.)
(330 ILCS 45/11) (from Ch. 23, par. 3091)
Sec. 11. The term "military veterans organizations" as used in this Act, shall mean those organizations formed by and for military veterans which are chartered by Congress or which are chartered by the State of Illinois with a paid membership of at least 15 and which provide responsible aid, assistance, or services to the veterans community.
(Source: P.A. 87-796.)