{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-40.350","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 40.350","heading":"Kentucky Wounded or Disabled Veterans Program -- Powers and duties --","body":"Components of program -- Data-sharing agreements -- Confidentiality of\nveterans' personal information -- Administrative regulations -- Authority to\naccept and expend moneys.\n(1) (a) The Kentucky Wounded or Disabled Veterans Program is hereby created in\nthe Kentucky Department of Veterans' Affairs and shall be attached to the\nOffice of the Commissioner for administrative purposes.\n(b) The program shall assist wounded or disabled vetera ns who served in the\nUnited States Armed Forces and were discharged under conditions other than\ndishonorable. The program shall:\n1. Ease the transition from active service for these wounded or disabled\nveterans; and\n2. Ensure that these wounded or disabled veterans receive the federal, state,\nand private benefits to which they are entitled as wounded or disabled\nveterans.\n(c) The commissioner shall designate a wounded or disabled veterans coordinator\nfor the Commonwealth.\n(2) The Kentucky Wounded or Disabled Veterans Program shall:\n(a) Perform outreach to improve wounded or disabled veterans' awareness of\neligibility for federal, state, and private wounded or disabled veterans' services\nand benefits;\n(b) Assess the needs of wounded or disabled veterans with respect to benefits and\nservices;\n(c) Review programs, research projects, and other initiatives that are or may be:\n1. Designed to address or meet the needs of Kentucky's wounded or\ndisabled veterans; or\n2. Unresponsive or insensitive to the needs of these  wounded or disabled\nveterans;\n(d) Recommend changes, revisions, and new initiatives to the commissioner to:\n1. Address deficiencies identified through the review established in\nparagraph (c) of this subsection; and\n2. Improve benefits and services; and\n(e) Incorporate wounded or disabled veterans' issues in strategic planning\nconcerning benefits and services.\n(3) The primary components of the program shall be:\n(a) Advocacy and Public Awareness. The program shall advocate for wounded or\ndisabled veterans and shall work to increase public awareness about the needs\nof wounded or disabled veterans. The program shall advocate legislation and\npolicies on the local, state, and national levels to address these issues;\n(b) Collaboration. The program shall collabor ate with federal, state, and private\nagencies that provide services to wounded or disabled veterans;\n(c) Research and Information Dissemination. The program shall monitor and\nresearch issues relating to wounded or disabled veterans and disseminate\ninformation and opportunities throughout its network;\n(d) Education. The program, through conferences, seminars, and training\nworkshops with federal, state, and private agencies, shall provide guidance\nand direction to wounded or disabled veterans applying for grants, benefits, or\nservices;\n(e) Honor and Recognition. The program shall promote events and activities that\nrecognize and honor wounded or disabled veterans; and\n(f) Facilities. The program, through grants and other sources of funding, shall\nprovide facilities as appropriate in support of the program.\n(4) The Kentucky Department of Veterans' Affairs shall enter into data -sharing\nagreements with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the\nDepartment of Defense to obtain timely information with r egard to the address and\nmedical status of a Kentucky wounded or disabled veteran.\n(5) With the consent of a wounded or disabled veteran, the wounded or disabled\nveterans coordinator for the Commonwealth, or his or her designee, may obtain\npersonal information concerning that veteran for the sole purpose of implementing\nthe program. Under the provisions of KRS 61.878, the information shall not be\nsubject to public disclosure.\n(6) The Kentucky Department of Veterans' Affairs shall promulgate administrative\nregulations to carry out the provisions of this section.\n(7) The program is authorized to accept and expend:\n(a) Moneys that may be appropriated by the General Assembly; and\n(b) Other moneys received from any other source, including donations and grants.","path":["KRS Chapter 40"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=21854","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:49:00Z","sha256":"75e3d9e4c731617bd46f7e30cae60bfbc9f41af6ddfb14b6b7ace337a73010ea","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-40.345","next":"us-ky/krs-40.353"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}