The Department of Veterans Affairs shall establish, within available resources, a Connecticut women veterans’ program to (1) conduct outreach to women veterans for the purpose of improving awareness of eligibility for federal and state veterans’ benefits and services; (2) conduct assessments of the needs of women veterans with respect to benefits and services; (3) review programs, research projects and other initiatives designed to address or meet the needs of Connecticut’s women veterans; (4) submit recommendations for improving benefits and services available to women veterans to the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs and, in accordance with the provisions of § 11-4a, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to military and veterans’ affairs on January 15, 2016, and annually thereafter; and (5) incorporate women veterans’ issues in strategic planning concerning benefits and services. The commissioner may adopt regulations in accordance with chapter 54 to supplement and implement the provisions of this section. For the purposes of this section, “veteran” means any person who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable from active service in the armed forces and “armed forces” has the same meaning as provided in § 27-103.