Department of Veterans Affairs: monitoring outcomes for veterans: Director of Employment Development: disclosure of information.

Existing law establishes the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is responsible for administering various programs and services for the benefit of veterans. This bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop outcome and related indicators for veterans, for the purpose of assessing the status of veterans in California, for monitoring the quality of programs intended to serve those veterans, and to guide decisionmaking on how to improve those services. This bill would require the department to report to the Senate and Assembly Committees on Veterans Affairs all of the outcome and related indicators developed by the department, recommendations on ways to establish a system for monitoring those indicators on a continual basis, and any regulatory or fiscal barriers that may hinder future progress on the development of a monitoring system, as provided. Under existing law, the information obtained in the administration of the Unemployment Insurance Law is for the exclusive use and information of the Director of Employment Development in the discharge of his or her duties and is not open to the public. However, existing law requires the director to permit the use of specified information for specified purposes, and allows the director to require reimbursement for direct costs incurred. Existing law provides that a person who knowingly accesses, uses, or discloses this confidential information without authorization is guilty of a misdemeanor. This bill would require the Director of Employment Development to permit the receipt of specified information to enable the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop outcome and related indicators for veterans. By providing this information to the Department of Veterans Affairs, this bill would expand the crime related to the unauthorized disclosure of this information, and impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 1095 of the Unemployment Insurance Code, proposed by AB 174 and SB 691 that would become operative only if this bill and either or both of those bills are chaptered and become effective January 1, 2013, and this bill is chaptered last.