HB 6480 — AN ACT CONCERNING THE FUNERAL EXPENSES OF CERTAIN VETERANS.

Substitute House ofBill Representatives General Assembly File No.

2396480 JanuaryPublic Session,Act 2021 Substitute House Bill No.

648021-112 HouseAN ofACT Representatives,CONCERNING AprilTHE 1,FUNERAL 2021EXPENSES TheOF CommitteeCERTAIN onVETERANS. Veterans' Affairs reported through REP.

BOYD of the 50th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the House, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING THE FUNERAL EXPENSES OF CERTAIN VETERANS.

[, and the same amount shall be paid if the body is cremated, but no] (c) No amount shall be paid for [the] funeral expenses [for burial or sHB6480cremation] /unless Fileclaim No.therefor is made within one year from the date of death, except that in cases of death occurring abroad, such claim may be made within one year after the remains of such veteran have been interred in this country.

239No 1provision sHB6480of Filethis section shall prevent the payment of the sum [above named for the burial of any person, Substitute House Bill No.

2396480 cremation]otherwise unlessentitled claimto therefor is made within one year from the datesame,] ofunder death,subsection except(a) that in cases of deaththis occurringsection abroad,for suchfuneral claimexpenses mayon beaccount madeof within[such] one year after the remainsburial of such veteran havebeing beenmade interredoutside inthe limits of this country.state.

No provision of this section shall prevent the payment of the sum [above named for the burial of any person, otherwise entitled to the same,] under subsection (a) of this section for funeral expenses on account of [such] the burial of such veteran being made outside the limits of this state.

and (2) "funeral expenses" means (A) the cash advances paid by the funeral director and the cost of funeral sHB6480services /and Filefuneral No.merchandise, (B) the cost of burial, cremation or disposition, and (C) the cost of publication of an obituary.

239"Funeral 2merchandise" sHB6480includes, Filebut is not limited to, alternative containers, Public Act No.

23921-112 services2 and funeral merchandise, (B) the cost of burial,3 cremationSubstitute orHouse disposition,Bill andNo. (C) the cost of publication of an obituary.

"Funeral6480 merchandise" includes, but is not limited to, alternative containers, caskets, urns, vaults and outer burial containers.

ThisApproved actJune shall28, take2021 effectPublic asAct followsNo. and shall amend the following sections:

Section21-112 13 October 1, 2021 27-118 Statement of Legislative3 Commissioners:

In Subsec.

(f)(2)(A),"cost of funeral services, funeral merchandise and cash advances paid by the funeral director" was changed to "cash advances paid by the funeral director and the cost of funeral services and funeral merchandise" for clarity.

VA Joint Favorable Subst.

sHB6480 / File No.

239 3 sHB6480 File No.

239 The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.

Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note State Impact:

None Municipal Impact:

None Explanation The bill has no fiscal impact to the Department of Veteran's Affairs as it clarifies eligible funeral expenses for certain veterans who receive a sum paid by the state.

The Out Years State Impact:

None Municipal Impact:

None sHB6480 / File No.

239 4 sHB6480 File No.

239 OLR Bill Analysis sHB 6480 AN ACT CONCERNING THE FUNERAL EXPENSES OF CERTAIN VETERANS.

SUMMARY This bill defines the funeral expenses eligible for the state burial benefit for indigent veterans.

By law, when a veterandies and does not leave enough money to pay burial expenses, as determined by the veterans commissioner after consulting with the appropriate probate court, the state must pay $1,800 toward his or her funeral expenses for burial or cremation.

Under the bill, “funeral expenses” mean the cost of (1) cash advances paid by the funeral director, funeral services, and funeral merchandise (e.g., alternate containers, caskets, urns, vaults, and outer burial containers);

(2) burial, cremation, or disposition;

and (3) publishing an obituary.

The bill also makes technical and conforming changes.

By law, a veteran qualifies for this benefit if he or she was (1) discharged or released under honorable conditions from active service in the U.S.

Armed Forces or (2) had a qualifying condition (i.e., post- traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, or military sexual trauma) and received a discharge that was not dishonorable or for bad conduct.

EFFECTIVE DATE: