Title 31 — Title 31

The Armory Commission of Alabama is hereby authorized, in addition to all other powers and authority granted herein, to finance or refinance any armory buildings or structures now in existence, to finance or refinance improvements to or additions to such armories already in exist…

of Commission. The Governor of Alabama is hereby authorized to use, in his discretion, any part of any appropriation or contingent appropriation heretofore or hereafter made for any military purpose or for the benefit of the state militia or any part thereof, irrespective of the …

National Guard, Naval Militia, Etc. The Armory Commission of Alabama shall provide adequate armories, buildings, equipment, furniture, target ranges, and other necessary facilities for the proper housing, instruction, training, and administration of all units and headquarters of …

The Armory Commission may, either alone or in cooperation with the United States or political subdivisions of the state, such as counties, cities, or incorporated towns, and private corporations, voluntary unincorporated associations or individuals, construct or acquire by purcha…

Etc., Suitable for Use as Public Buildings and Armories. The governing body of any county and the governing body of any city or incorporated town wherein a unit or units of the Alabama National Guard or Alabama Naval Militia have been, or may hereafter be established, may, either…

As used under this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) BOARD. The State Board of Veterans Affairs. (2) COMMISSIONER. The chief executive officer of the State Department of Veterans Affairs. (3) DEPARTMENT. The State Department of Veterans Affairs. (4) VE…

(a) Each veteran service officer and district manager shall perform the duties prescribed by policies, rules, and instructions adopted by the department and shall be administratively responsible to the commissioner. (b) Each veteran service officer and district manager shall do a…

(a) The commissioner shall have a seal of office and, along with each assistant commissioner, district manager, and veteran service officer, shall subscribe and execute an oath before entering into the duties of his or her office. (b) The commissioner shall designate employees to…

Appointment and Powers of Service Commissioners as Notaries Public. REPEALED BY ACT 2024-442, EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2024. History: (Acts 1945, No. 173, p. 304, §12.)

The department and the commissioner shall maintain offices in the capital city of the state. The commissioner, in addition to any service office, if deemed necessary, may set up and maintain a service office staffed by an assistant commissioner, veteran service officer, or distri…

Veteran Service Officers and District Managers. (a) Salaries of officials and employees of the department, as provided in this chapter, and office, travel, and other expenses incidental to the proper establishment, operation, and maintenance of the department, or other offices es…

The State Board of Veterans Affairs is established to oversee the State Department of Veterans Affairs. The department shall be composed of a commissioner and other officers and employees authorized to be appointed under this chapter who meet the qualifications prescribed by the …

(a)(1) The board shall be composed of the Governor, as chair, and representatives, to serve for a term of four years from the date of their respective appointments, who shall be selected from the memberships of the Alabama Department of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreig…

Presenting Claims, Establishing Rights, Etc. (a) The department shall assist veterans of the United States in presenting and pursuing any credible claim the veteran may have against the United States arising out of his or her military service and in establishing the veteran’s rig…

Establishment and Operation of State Veterans Cemeteries; Contracts with Veterans’ Organizations for Assistance to Veterans in Processing Claims, Etc. (a)(1) The department shall adopt rules governing the manner of performance of all functions and duties of the department and the…

Removal; Powers and Duties. (a) The Governor shall appoint a commissioner to serve at the Governor’s pleasure. The commissioner shall be appointed on the basis of education, ability, and experience in handling veterans’ affairs, and without regard to political affiliations. The c…

(a) The commissioner shall submit an annual budget to the board of all funds appropriated by the Legislature to the department for the specific purposes for which they are appropriated and also a budget of any federal funds that may be allotted to the state by the federal governm…

The commissioner may appoint additional assistant commissioners to serve as employees in the department, subject to the rules of the department. Assistant commissioners shall be appointed on the basis of education, ability, and experience in handling veterans’ affairs, and withou…

Areas; Districts. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), the commissioner shall appoint a veteran service officer for each county in the state. Each veteran service officer shall be an employee of the department and subject to the rules of the department. The veteran service o…

The Legislature finds that there exists a significant need for health, nursing, medical, rehabilitative, and related housing structures for residents of this state who have served their state and nation in its armed forces. The Legislature further finds that in order to meet this…

Each resident of any state veterans home shall pay directly to the contracted service operator of the home the cost of maintaining his or her residence at the home. The cost shall be determined by the commissioner. The cost of the care shall be paid by the 10th day of each month.…

or Providers of Health Services; Exceptions to Certificate of Need Process. (a) All state veterans nursing homes, domiciliaries, hospitals, or any other health related activities shall be subject to the rules governing the operation of a privately owned facility or provider of he…

As used in this chapter, the terms “board,” “commissioner,” “department,” and “veteran” shall have the same meaning as defined in Section 31-5-1. History: (Acts 1988, 1st Sp. Sess., No. 88-776, p. 184, §1; Act 2024-442, §2.)

Funds. The department is the sole agency authorized to receive federal aid from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or any other agency of the United States government authorized to pay federal aid to states for state homes under 38 U.S.C. §§ 1741 and 1742, as amende…

The department shall contract with a non-governmental entity to operate state veterans homes for the care and support of elderly or disabled veterans in this state. Contracts for the procurement of services required to manage, administer, and operate a state veterans home shall b…

The commissioner shall appoint an executive director for oversight and coordination of all state veterans homes and shall also appoint an on-site director for each state veterans home. The executive director and on-site director positions created pursuant to this section shall be…

The commissioner, in consultation with the board, shall do all of the following: (1) Provide for the operation of state veterans homes for the care of and support of elderly and disabled veterans in this state as prescribed in this chapter. (2) Adopt rules for the creation and op…

(a) A trust fund in the State Treasury is created for the benefit of the State Department of Veterans Affairs, to be known as the Alabama Veterans Home Trust Fund. (b) The trust fund shall consist of all funds received by the board or the department from the United States, any fe…

(a) Admissions to and discharges from any state veterans home shall be in accordance with the policies and procedures established by the department at the time an application for admission or for discharge is submitted. (b) The department may admit and discharge veterans to any s…

(a) The department shall report annually to the Governor the activities of the department regarding the operation of the state veterans homes. (b) The annual report shall contain an accounting of all monies received and expended, statistics on veterans who resided in the homes du…

This chapter shall be known and cited as the Alabama Veterans Resource Center Act. History: (Act 2025-20, §1.)

This chapter shall be liberally construed to effectuate its purposes. History: (Act 2025-20, §11.)

(a) The Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall present to the Secretary of State an application, signed by each of them, for the formation of the Alabama Veterans Resource Center as a public corporation, having a l…

(a) The Alabama Veterans Resource Center shall be under the management and control of a board of directors, and all power necessary or appropriate for the management and control of the center shall be vested solely in that board. (b) The board shall have all of the following memb…

(a) The board shall have all of the powers necessary to carry out and effectuate the purposes of this chapter. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the board shall have and exercise all of the following powers: (1) Provide comprehensive support services to veterans a…

Bidding, Public Records, Etc. (a) The board may enter into contracts, leases, agreements, investments, and may otherwise expend monies without compliance with competitive bid laws under Article 5, commencing with Section 41-4-110, of Chapter 4 of Title 41, and Chapter 2 of Title …

In addition to the powers provided in Section 31-5B-4, the board may enter into annual public-private partnerships with nonprofit organizations and other entities to leverage resources and expertise in support of the Alabama Veterans Resource Center’s mission and purpose. Each pu…

(a) The Alabama Veterans Resource Center Fund is created in the State Treasury. All monies received by the board pursuant to this chapter or otherwise from any source permitted by this chapter shall be deposited into the State Treasury to the credit of the fund. Amounts deposited…

The board, at any time and by majority vote, may cause its application for formation to be amended by having three members of the board file an amendment with the Secretary of State which shall be sworn to by each signatory thereto before an officer authorized to take acknowledgm…

(a) The board, at any time and by a three-quarters vote, may dissolve the Alabama Veterans Resource Center by having three-quarters of the members of the board file with the Secretary of State an application for dissolution, which shall be sworn to by each signatory thereto by an…

This chapter shall be known as the “Alabama G.I. and Dependents’ Educational Benefit Act.” History: (Acts 1951, No. 47, p. 259, §14.)

All applications for benefits accruing under this chapter must be made to the State Department of Veterans’ Affairs. The State Service Commissioner, or any official of the department designated by him, is hereby charged with the responsibility and duty of determining the eligibil…

(a) Before the application of a spouse, widow, or child of a disabled veteran or a deceased veteran or serviceman for educational benefits under this chapter is approved, proof, satisfactory to the State Department of Veterans’ Affairs, must be submitted of all of the following: …

The State Department of Veterans’ Affairs is hereby charged with the duty of informing the veterans and their dependents in this state, through its county service commissioners and all other sources at its command, of the provisions of this chapter in order that those veterans an…

Dependents of Benefits Provided. The president or head of each qualifying school must inform the faculty members of each respective institution of the provisions and benefits of this chapter, who in turn shall inform the spouses, widows, and children of veterans attending such in…

Dependents of Benefits Provided. The county superintendent of education and the city superintendent of schools in each respective county and city shall inform the teachers of their county and city of the provisions and benefits of this chapter, who in turn shall inform the childr…

and Dependents; Audit of Records; Accounting of Resources. (a) The benefits provided in this chapter shall be paid from an annual appropriation from the Education Trust Fund to reimburse every qualifying school in which benefits are given to veterans and their spouses, widows, or…

The State Department of Veterans’ Affairs shall report to the Legislature, by January 1st of each year, the number of applicants approved in the previous fiscal year and those approved as of the reporting date for the current fiscal year, the number of students by years of remain…

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as lowering the standards or requirements, or as to making any exceptions for entrance into any of the qualifying schools affected by this chapter. All applicants, in order to obtain the educational benefits of this chapter, must first m…

This chapter shall supersede the provisions of Act No. 633, approved September 19, 1949, and Act No. 44, approved October 31, 1950; provided, however, that no substantive rights, privileges, or benefits which have presently accrued or been conferred under the provisions of such a…