| (3) Four members representing health care providers, | including one allopathic physician, one osteopathic | physician, one representative of hospitals and one | provider of mental health services; |
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| D. A representative of the federal Department of Veterans | Affairs; and |
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| E. The Director of Maine Veterans' Homes or the director's | designee. |
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| | 2. Chairs. The Senate member and the House member serve as | cochairs of the task force. |
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| | 3. Appointments; convening of task force. All appointments | must be made no later than 30 days following the effective date | of this Part. The appointing authorities shall notify the | Executive Director of the Legislative Council once all | appointments have been completed. Within 15 days after | appointment of all members, the chairs shall call and convene the | first meeting of the task force. |
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| | 4. Duties. The task force shall review and assess the needs | of the State's veterans for health care services and the | availability, accessibility and quality of public and private | health care services for veterans. Based on its review and | assessment, the task force shall make recommendations for the | reorganization of those services to more effectively meet the | needs of the State's veterans for health care services. |
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| | 5. Staff assistance. The Department of Defense, Veterans and | Emergency Management shall provide necessary staffing services to | the task force. |
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| | 6. Compensation. The legislative members of the task force are | entitled to the legislative per diem, as defined in the Maine | Revised Statutes, Title 3, section 2, and reimbursement for | travel and other necessary expenses related to their attendance | at authorized meetings of the task force. Public members not | otherwise compensated by their employers or other entities that | they represent are entitled to receive reimbursement of necessary | expenses and, upon a demonstration of financial hardship, a per | diem equal to the legislative per diem for their attendance at | authorized meetings of the task force. |
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| | 7. Report. The task force shall submit a report, no later | than January 1, 2005, that includes its findings and | recommendations, including suggested legislation, to the joint | standing committees of the Legislature having jurisdiction over | veterans affairs matters and health and human services matters |
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