                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

ADDITIONAL POWERS AND DUTIES OF COMMISSIONER (§ 2.2-2004)

The Commissioner shall have the following powers and duties related to veterans
services:

1. Perform an annual cost-benefit and value analysis of (i) existing programs
and services and (ii) new programs and services before establishing and
implementing them and report the results of such analysis to the Secretary of
Veterans and Defense Affairs;

2. Seek alternative funding sources for the Department&#8217;s veterans service
programs;

3. Cooperate with all relevant entities of the federal government, including the
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development, and U.S. Department of Labor in matters concerning veterans
benefits and services;

4. Appoint a full-time coordinator to collaborate with the Joint Leadership
Council of Veterans Service Organizations created in &#xA7; 2.2-2681 on ways to
provide both direct and indirect support of ongoing veterans programs, and to
determine and address future veterans needs and concerns;

5. Initiate, conduct, and issue special studies on matters pertaining to
veterans needs and priorities, as determined necessary by the Commissioner;

6. Evaluate veterans service efforts, practices, and programs of the agencies,
political subdivisions, or other entities and organizations of the government of
the Commonwealth and make recommendations to the Secretary of Veterans and
Defense Affairs, the Governor, and the General Assembly on ways to increase
awareness of the services available to veterans or improve veterans services;

7. Assist entities of state government and political subdivisions of the
Commonwealth in enhancing their efforts to provide services to veterans, those
members of the Virginia National Guard, Virginia residents in the Armed Forces
Reserves who qualify for veteran status, and their immediate family members,
including the dissemination of relevant materials and the rendering of technical
or other advice;

8. Assist counties, cities, and towns of the Commonwealth in the development,
implementation, and review of local veterans services programs as part of the
state program and establish as necessary, in consultation with the Board of
Veterans Services and the Joint Leadership Council of Veterans Service
Organizations, volunteer local and regional advisory committees to assist and
support veterans service efforts;

9. Review the activities, roles, and contributions of various entities and
organizations to the Commonwealth&#8217;s veterans services programs and report
on or before December 1 of each year in writing to the Secretary of Veterans and
Defense Affairs, the Governor, and the General Assembly on the status, progress,
and prospects of veterans services in the Commonwealth, including performance
measures and outcomes of veterans services programs;

10. Recommend to the Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs, the Governor,
and the General Assembly any corrective measures, policies, procedures, plans,
and programs to make service to Virginia-domiciled veterans and their eligible
spouses, orphans, and dependents as efficient and effective as practicable;

11. Design, implement, administer, and review, in consultation with the
Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs, special programs or projects needed
to promote veterans services in the Commonwealth;

12. Integrate veterans services activities into the framework of economic
development activities in general;

13. Manage operational funds using accepted accounting principles and practices
in order to provide for a sum sufficient to ensure continued, uninterrupted
operations;

14. Engage Department personnel in training and educational activities aimed at
enhancing veterans services;

15. Develop a strategic plan to ensure efficient and effective utilization of
resources, programs, and services;

16. Certify eligibility for the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents
Education Program and perform other duties related to such Program as outlined
in &#xA7; 23.1-608;

17. Establish and implement a compact with Virginia&#8217;s veterans, which
shall have a goal of making Virginia America&#8217;s most veteran-friendly
state. The compact shall be established in conjunction with the Board of
Veterans Services and supported by the Joint Leadership Council of Veterans
Service Organizations and shall (i) include specific provisions for technology
advances, workforce development, outreach, quality of life enhancement, and
other services for veterans and (ii) provide service standards and goals to be
attained for each specific provision in clause (i). The provisions of the
compact shall be reviewed and updated annually. The Commissioner shall include
in the annual report required by this section the progress of veterans services
established in the compact;

18. Assist the Department of Corrections, sheriffs, and local and regional jails
in utilizing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs&#8217; Veterans Re-Entry
Search Services system, with the goal of (i) identifying veterans incarcerated
in state prisons and local and regional jails, (ii) helping such veterans
prepare for release or reentry, (iii) reducing the rates of recidivism and
homelessness, (iv) connecting such veterans to resources to address the
challenges of post-traumatic stress disorder, and (v) diverting eligible
veterans to treatment dockets. The Department shall coordinate with the Virginia
Sheriffs&#8217; Association, the Virginia Association of Regional Jails, the
Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs, the Secretary of Public Safety and
Homeland Security, the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court,
the Department of Criminal Justice Services, the U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs, community partners, district and circuit courts, and other stakeholders
as necessary; and

19. Provide the Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs, the Governor, and the
General Assembly with an overview of the activities of the Military Spouse
Liaison, as outlined in &#xA7; 2.2-2002.2, including any legislative
recommendations, on or before December 1 of each year.

HISTORY: 2003, cc. 657, 670; 2008, cc. 467, 768; 2010, c. 534; 2011, cc. 780,
858; 2012, cc. 803, 835; 2013, c. 234; 2014, cc. 115, 490; 2018, c. 648; 2023,
cc. 246, 247; 2025, cc. 245, 235.