New Jersey A 4622: Prohibits persons from receiving compensation for advising or assisting with veterans benefits.

Bill Text

A4622 

ASSEMBLY, No. 4622 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

INTRODUCED MARCH 10, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman� ALEX SAUICKIE

District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)

SYNOPSIS

���� �Compassionate Spousal Visits for Veterans Act�; 
establishes transportation grant program for spouses of veterans; appropriates 
$500,000. 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

���� As introduced.

�� 

An Act establishing a transportation grant program for 
spouses of veterans, supplementing chapter 3 of Title 38A of the New Jersey 
Statutes, and making an appropriation.

���� Be It 
Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of 
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.� This act shall be known 
and may be cited as the �Compassionate Spousal Visits for Veterans Act.�

���� 2.� The Department of Veterans 
Affairs shall establish a program to provide transportation assistance to 
spouses of veterans to travel to any long-term care facility or United States 
Department of Veterans Affairs medical facility in this State where a veteran 
resides or is receiving in-patient treatment for the purpose of making a 
recreational, social, or non-medical visit.

���� The department shall:

���� a.���� develop, in cooperation 
with the New Jersey Transit Corporation and the United States Department of 
Veterans Affairs, a program to provide reimbursement to spouses of veterans who 
spend their own funds to travel on public transportation to and from any 
long-term care facility or United States Department of Veterans Affairs medical 
facility in this State to make a recreational, social, or non-medical visit to 
a resident or an in-patient veteran using any motor bus or rail passenger 
service conducted by the corporation due to a circumstance which prevents or 
hinders the spouse�s ability to operate a privately-owned conveyance and when 
the spouse is not otherwise eligible for payment for travel or reimbursement by 
means of any existing State or federal program;

���� b.��� develop, in cooperation 
with county governments, a program to provide reimbursement to qualified 
participating county governments that provide transportation services to 
spouses of veterans who travel on county transportation to and from any 
long-term care facility or United States Department of Veterans Affairs medical 
facility in this State to make a recreational, social, or non-medical visit to 
a resident or an in-patient veteran due to a circumstance which prevents or 
hinders the spouse�s ability to operate a privately-owned conveyance by 
reimbursing their operation of a county-owned conveyance;

���� c.���� develop a program to 
provide reimbursement to spouses of veterans who spend their own funds to 
travel, using a for-hire private entity, to and from any long-term care 
facility or United States Department of Veterans Affairs medical facility in 
this State to make a recreational, social, or non-medical visit to a resident 
or an in-patient veteran by reimbursing on a per mile basis the use of a 
privately-owned conveyance when that spouse is not otherwise eligible for 
payment for travel or reimbursement by means of any existing State, federal, or 
county program, the requested transportation is not duplicated by any existing 
private transportation service available through residence in a group care 
facility, and such transportation is necessary due to a circumstance which prevents 
or hinders the spouse�s ability to operate a privately-owned conveyance;

���� d.��� develop a system for 
monitoring spouses of veterans who have applied for reimbursement;

���� e.���� require all government 
entities whose vehicles are used to provide transportation assistance to 
spouses of veterans pursuant to this section to have liability insurance that 
provides coverage to those spouses during transport;

���� f.���� reimburse county 
governments for any costs necessary to effectuate the provisions of this 
section;

���� g.��� notify the general 
public, veterans, and eligible spouses of veterans that the program established 
by this section is available; and

���� h.��� adopt such rules and 
regulations as may be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act.

���� 3.��� There is appropriated 
from the General Fund to the Department of Veterans Affairs the sum of $500,000 
to effectuate the provisions of P.L.��� , c.��� (C.������� ) (pending before 
the Legislature as this bill).

���� 4.� This act shall take effect 
on the first day of the sixth month next following enactment, except that the 
Department of Veterans Affairs may take any anticipatory administrative action 
in advance as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act. 

STATEMENT

���� This bill, designated as the 
�Compassionate Spousal Visits for Veterans Act,� establishes a program to 
provide financial assistance, subject to available State or federal funding, to 
spouses of veterans to travel to any long-term care facility or United States 
Department of Veteran