Senate committee advances Burgess bill to study veterans' awareness, add adult day health care planning

A Florida Senate committee on military and veterans affairs on a voice vote reported SB 116 favorably after sponsor Senator Jay Burgess said the bill would sharpen recognition in the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame, expand a Department of Veterans Affairs health survey, add mental‑health training to a suicide prevention pilot and direct the department to develop a plan for adult day health care facilities for veterans across the state.

The bill reduces the maximum annual nominations to the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame from 20 to five, Burgess told the Committee of Military, Veterans Affairs, Space and Domestic Security, saying the change ‘‘is to make more of an honor and distinction for those who are nominated and to make the process more manageable for the council.’’

Burgess said the bill expands the FDVA health survey and coordination efforts to measure whether veterans are aware of existing federal, state and community programs, and requires FDVA to evaluate veterans’ health literacy and recommend ways to increase knowledge of benefits and services. ‘‘Benefits are only as good as those to those individuals that actually know they exist,’’ Burgess said, describing the measure as follow‑up to earlier outreach work he led as FDVA executive director.

The bill also would add mental‑health training to the department’s veterans suicide prevention training pilot so veterans service organizations (VSOs) and others can better identify indicators of serious behavioral health needs and route veterans to clinical care.

On long‑term care, the bill directs FDVA to prepare a plan to establish adult day health care facilities statewide to serve veterans and their families, specifying recommended sites, the populations to be served and anticipated costs to build and operate the facilities. FDVA Deputy Executive Director Bob Vostalos told the committee the department has identified sites — including Port St. Lucie and the Lake City domiciliary — with space to add adult day health care and said federal construction funding typically is not available for those facilities.

Multiple veteran service organizations and nonprofit providers filed appearance forms or spoke in support during the meeting. Dan Hendrickson of the Tallahassee Veterans Legal Collaborative and Jorge Morales Lopez of Endeavors both told the committee their organizations support SB 116’s provisions for outreach, care coordination and adult day services.

The committee recorded a roll call for the measure. Senators cast unanimous recorded votes in favor; the committee chair announced SB 116 "reported favorably." The bill will move forward to the next committee or floor consideration under Senate procedures.

Why it matters: the bill targets several pieces of the veterans services system at once — public recognition, outreach and awareness, behavioral‑health training for frontline veteran advocates, and planning for non‑institutional long‑term care — and it mandates a department study and plan that could influence future budget requests or local partnerships for adult day health care.

What’s next: SB 116 was reported favorably by the committee and will appear on subsequent Senate committee or floor calendars as prescribed by Senate rules.