California § 880

§ 880.

(a) (1) The department shall, with existing funds or through appropriation by the Legislature, operate a competitive grant program, to be administered by the department. For purposes of this section, “existing funds” means funding already appropriated to any state department or agency, other than the department, for the purpose of providing services to veterans. The department may enter into memoranda of understanding with other state departments and agencies to implement this section. (2) The department may cover reasonable administrative costs of implementing this section using the funds available for the competitive grant program. (b) (1) Competitive grants shall be awarded to certified California veteran service providers, as defined in Section 881, for purposes of providing supportive services that improve the quality of life for veterans and their families. Supportive services may include, but are not limited to, housing assistance, health services, including mental and behavioral health services, counseling, small business assistance, case management, employment assistance, and job placement. (2) Only a certified California veteran service provider is eligible to be awarded funds under the competitive grant program. (3) Competitive grants shall be awarded in support of the state’s strategic plan for providing veterans with transitional assistance, as described in Section 90. (c) The department shall, no later than July 1, 2019, develop regulations for the implementation of the program. These standards shall include, but not be limited to, the grant application criteria, application scoring process, data collection, and accountability for grant program expenditures and metrics for evaluation of grants made. (d) Prior to awarding competitive grants under this section, the department shall develop regulations to define criteria for supporting the state’s strategic plan. (e) All funds appropriated pursuant to this chapter shall be deposited in the Certified Veteran Service Provider Program Fund, which is hereby created in the State Treasury, and shall be available for expenditure by the department and exclusively for the support of the department in carrying out their duties and responsibilities under this chapter.