Sec. 27-100a. Military Family Relief Fund: Established; grants; application process; evaluation of program; report. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 27-100a. Military Family Relief Fund: Established; grants; application process; evaluation of program; report. (a) As used in this section, (1) "department" means the Military Department, (2) "fund" means the Military Family Relief Fund established in accordance with this section, (3) "eligible member of the armed forces" and "eligible member" means a member of the armed forces, as defined in subsection (a) of section 27-103, including the Connecticut National Guard, who is on active duty and who is domiciled in this state, (4) "immediate family member" means an eligible member's spouse, child or parent who is domiciled in this state, or any other member of an eligible member's family who lives in the same household as the eligible member, and (5) "essential personal or household goods or services" includes, but is not limited to, repairs, medical services that are not covered by insurance, transportation, babysitting, clothing, school supplies or any other goods or services that are essential to the well-being of an eligible member's immediate family.

      (b) There is established, within the General Fund, a separate, nonlapsing account to be known as the "Military Family Relief Fund". The account shall contain (1) any amounts appropriated or otherwise made available by the state for the purposes of this section, (2) any moneys required by law to be deposited in the account, and (3) gifts, grants, donations or bequests made for the purposes of this section. Investment earnings credited to the assets of the fund shall become part of the assets of the fund. Any balance remaining in the account at the end of any fiscal year shall be carried forward in the account for the fiscal year next succeeding. The State Treasurer shall administer the fund. All moneys deposited in the account shall be used by the Military Department for the purposes of this section. The Military Department may deduct and retain from the moneys in the account an amount equal to the costs incurred by the department in administering the provisions of this section, except that said amount shall not exceed two per cent of the moneys deposited in the account in any fiscal year.

      (c) The Military Department shall use the Military Family Relief Fund to make grants to immediate family members of eligible members of the armed forces for essential personal or household goods or services in this state if the payment for such goods or services would be a hardship for such family member because of the military service of the eligible member. The department shall not make any grant that exceeds the balance available for grants in the fund.

      (d) The department shall establish an application process that is simple for immediate family members. The department shall act on each application no later than seven days after the date on which the completed application is submitted to the department.

      (e) On or after six months from June 30, 2005, after evaluating the performance of the program during the preceding six months, including available resources and applications received, the department may commence the process to adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, that would facilitate the purposes of this section, including, but not limited to, establishing a maximum amount of each grant, of each type of grant or of grants to the immediate family members of any eligible member, and establishing criteria for the approval of grant applications. The department may implement the policies and procedures contained in such proposed regulations while in the process of adopting such proposed regulations, provided the department publishes notice of intention to adopt the regulations in the Connecticut Law Journal no later than twenty days after implementing such policies and procedures. Policies and procedures implemented pursuant to this subsection shall be valid until the earlier of the date on which such regulations are effective or one year after the publication of such notice of intention.

      (f) On or before October 15, 2005, and on or before the fifteenth day following the close of each calendar quarter thereafter, the department shall submit a report to the select committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to veterans' and military affairs, in accordance with section 11-4a, that contains the following information for the preceding calendar quarter: (1) The number of applications received, (2) the number of eligible members whose immediate family members received grants under this section, (3) the amount in grants made to the immediate family of each such eligible member, (4) the uses for such grants, and (5) any recommendations regarding the Military Family Relief Fund, including any proposed legislation to facilitate the purposes of this section. Such reports shall not identify the name of any eligible member or of any immediate family member. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of section 1-210, all information obtained by the Military Department that contains the name or address of, or other information that could be used to identify, an eligible member or an immediate family member shall be confidential.

      (June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-3, S. 10.)

      History: June Sp. Sess. P.A. 05-3 effective June 30, 2005.