Compendium of Budget Information for the 2012 General Session

Executive Appropriations Committee

Function

During the 2007 General Session the Legislature enacted House Bill 426, 'Change to Department of Veterans' Affairs'. This legislation created the Department of Veterans' Affairs and removed responsibility of the Utah National Guard to oversee the budgets and administration of Veterans' Affairs, Veterans' Cemetery, and Veterans' Nursing Home.

The Utah Department of Veterans Affairs is the agency responsible for Utah's 160,000 veterans. The primary mission of the agency is to assist former and present members of the United States Armed Forces, both active and reserve, and their families in preparing claims for and securing compensation, health services, education and other federal and state veterans' benefits for service connected conditions.

These services are performed via outreach efforts throughout the state at information and benefit fairs, workshops, and briefings. The Department conducts veterans benefit briefings for returning National Guardsmen and Reservists. The Department is the repository of military discharge documents verifying military service required to receive veteran's benefits. It responds to complaints from individual veterans, veterans' groups, the Governor's office, and state and federal congressional offices.

The Departments's mission includes overseeing operation of the Utah State Veterans' Nursing Homes in Salt Lake City and in Ogden. This entails management of a contractual arrangement for the operation of the nursing homes and assuring that all federal and state regulations for the provision of nursing home health care services are met.

The Department also operates and manages the Utah Veterans' Cemetery in Bluffdale, coordinating burials, arranging services, assisting families in obtaining burial benefits from the VA, and all related services that are provided in the normal operation of a cemetery. The cemetery handles between 300-400 funeral arrangements each year.

Veterans' Affairs is also the State Approving Agency (SAA) responsible for approving and supervising programs in educational institutions and training establishments in Utah, which offer education and training to veterans and other eligible persons under provisions of the Veterans Education Assistance Program. These programs must have SAA approval before veterans and other eligible persons may receive educational benefits (GI Bill) from US Department of Veterans Affairs under the authority of Title 38, U.S. Code and Chapter 1606 Title 10. Annual review and re-certification of schools and cirriculum is required to be performed by the SAA.

Statutory Authority

The Department of Veterans' Affairs is governed by UCA Title 71-8.

UCA 71-8-2 creates the Department of Veterans' Affairs and requires the governor to appoint an executive director from a list of qualified veterans provided by the Veterans' Advisory Council.
UCA 71-8-3 defines the duties of the executive director and defines the executive director's duties to veterans.
UCA 71-8-4 authorizes the Veterans' Advisory Council.
UCA 71-9 defines assistance to veterans and their families.
UCA 71-10 establishes veterans' preferences.

Intent Language

Under terms of Section 63J-1-603-(3)(a) Utah Code Annotated, item 211 of Chapter 2 Laws of Utah 2010 is made non-lapsing with the use of any non-lapsing funds limited to the following: Veterans' Outreach $130,000; Veterans' Cemetery $20,000; and Veterans' Nursing Home $15,000.

Funding Detail

Sources of Finance	2008 Actual	2009 Actual	2010 Actual	2011 Actual	2012 Approp
General Fund	$657,800	$777,000	$859,100	$841,400	$835,600
General Fund, One-time	$300,000	$235,500	$352,400	$100,000	$220,000
Federal Funds	$0	$0	$161,700	$187,500	$121,600
Dedicated Credits Revenue	$176,800	$164,900	$201,700	$202,600	$186,800
Beginning Nonlapsing	$113,100	$183,200	$110,400	$5,900	$0
Closing Nonlapsing	($183,600)	($110,400)	($5,900)	($5,900)	$0
Lapsing Balance	$0	($70,600)	$0	$0	$0
Total	$1,064,100	$1,179,600	$1,679,400	$1,331,500	$1,364,000

Line Items	2008 Actual	2009 Actual	2010 Actual	2011 Actual	2012 Approp
Veterans' Affairs	$1,064,100	$1,179,600	$1,679,400	$1,331,500	$1,364,000
Total	$1,064,100	$1,179,600	$1,679,400	$1,331,500	$1,364,000

Categories of Expenditure	2008 Actual	2009 Actual	2010 Actual	2011 Actual	2012 Approp
Personnel Services	$727,900	$822,000	$1,056,700	$1,043,000	$970,000
In-state Travel	$6,400	$5,900	$13,700	$10,900	$11,600
Out-of-state Travel	$8,400	$13,000	$22,900	$18,400	$16,800
Current Expense	$146,500	$117,800	$355,400	$150,800	$72,000
DP Current Expense	$8,400	$29,400	$18,100	$25,000	$238,500
Capital Outlay	$0	$0	$0	$0	$100
Other Charges/Pass Thru	$166,500	$191,500	$212,600	$119,900	$55,000
Operating Transfers	$0	$0	$0	($36,500)	$0
Total	$1,064,100	$1,179,600	$1,679,400	$1,331,500	$1,364,000

Other Indicators	2008 Actual	2009 Actual	2010 Actual	2011 Actual	2012 Approp
Budgeted FTE	11.0	11.0	12.0	12.0	12.0
Actual FTE	0.0	0.0	15.8	14.4	0.0
Vehicles	4	4	6	8	6

Committee Table of Contents