Senate Bill S6077A

2015-2016 Legislative Session

Requires hospitals and physicians to include certain information regarding military service of patients or persons close to patients on admission forms

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Health Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

Please enter your contact information

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

A valid email address is required.

Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you.

Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.

Actions

View Actions

Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 06, 2016	referred to health
Nov 13, 2015	print number 6077a
Nov 13, 2015	amend (t) and recommit to rules
Oct 27, 2015	referred to rules

Bill Amendments

Original

A (Active)

2015-S6077 - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Health
Law Section:: Public Health Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §2805-b, add Art 26-B §2640, Pub Health L
Versions Introduced in 2017-2018 Legislative Session:: S2739

2015-S6077 - Summary

Requires hospitals and physicians to include information regarding military service of patients or persons close to patients on admission forms, including, but not limited to, who served in the military, where and when did the person serve, what was their job description, and are they currently registered with the veterans administration and/or receiving benefits from the veterans administration.

2015-S6077 - Sponsor Memo

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S6077

 TITLE OF BILL :

An act to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring
hospitals to include certain information regarding military service of
patients or persons close to patients on admission forms

 PURPOSE :

This bill will help assure certain medical conditions and medical
information is addressed by medical doctors with patients that may
have been veterans and then using that information to better serve
that particular patient.

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :

Section 1. Subdivision 5 of section 2805-b of the public health law,
as added by chapter 694 of the laws of 1986, is amended to read as
follows:

5. The staff of a general hospital shall inquire whether or not the
person admitted is a veteran, as defined in section eighty-five of the
civil service law. The admissions form shall include information
including, but not limited to, whether the patient or someone close to
the patient has ever served in the military, who served in the

military, when and where did the person serve, what was the person in
the military's job description, whether the patient is currently
registered with the veterans administration, and whether the patients
currently receiving any benefits from the veterans administration.
The staff shall notify any admittee who is a veteran of the possible
availability of services at a hospital operated by the veterans
administration, and, upon request by the admittee, such staff shall
make arrangements for the individual's transfer to a veterans
administration operated hospital. Transfers shall be authorized only
after it has been determined, according to accepted clinical and
medical standards, that the patient's condition has stabilized and
transfer can be accomplished safely and without complication. The
commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations for notifying such
admittees of possible available service s and for arranging a
requested transfer.

§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

 EXISTING LAW :

No law currently addresses this issue

 JUSTIFICATION :

When a patient answers "no" to a single question, "Have you ever
served in the military?" his or her service history has been
completed. however the 21 million patients who answer "yes" will
benefit because possible service-related causes will now be included
in the differential diagnosis of their medical complaints, and
statistical correlations between a risk like dioxin exposure and
medical illness might be made years earlier. (Some Vietnam-era
veterans might have received treatment and disability benefits 20 to
30 years sooner and others might not have died in the interim.) If
every adult patient is asked this single question, pooled electronic
health data could be used to detect association between illness and
deployment. This will be especially important for female soldiers who
require ongoing monitoring for possible complications of pregnancy and
birth defects.  And physicians might now refer underinsured veterans
to Veterans Affairs Facilities for treatment they could not otherwise
afford.  Although teaching how and why to take a military health
history should be taught in medical school curricula along with other
medical history questions we can begin with simply asking these few
questions to start a dialogue.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

None

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

None to the state

 LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

None

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
act shall take effect immediately

2015-S6077 - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  6077

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                            October 27, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen. LATIMER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules

AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to  requiring  hospi-
  tals  to  include  certain  information  regarding military service of
  patients or persons close to patients on admission forms

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1.  Subdivision 5 of section 2805-b of the public health law,
as added by chapter 694 of the laws of  1986,  is  amended  to  read  as
follows:
  5.  The  staff  of a general hospital shall inquire whether or not the
person admitted is a veteran, as defined in section eighty-five  of  the
civil  service law. [Such information shall be listed on the] THE admis-
sions form SHALL INCLUDE INFORMATION  INCLUDING,  BUT  NOT  LIMITED  TO,
WHETHER  THE  PATIENT OR SOMEONE CLOSE TO THE PATIENT HAS EVER SERVED IN
THE MILITARY, WHO SERVED IN THE MILITARY, WHEN AND WHERE DID THE  PERSON
SERVE,  WHAT  WAS  THE PERSON IN THE MILITARY'S JOB DESCRIPTION, WHETHER
THE PATIENT IS CURRENTLY REGISTERED WITH  THE  VETERANS  ADMINISTRATION,
AND  WHETHER  THE  PATIENT  IS CURRENTLY RECEIVING ANY BENEFITS FROM THE
VETERANS ADMINISTRATION.  The staff shall notify any admittee who  is  a
veteran  of the possible availability of services at a hospital operated
by the veterans administration, and, upon request by the admittee,  such
staff  shall make arrangements for the individual's transfer to a veter-
ans administration operated hospital. Transfers shall be authorized only
after it has been determined, according to accepted clinical and medical
standards, that the patient's condition has stabilized and transfer  can
be  accomplished safely and without complication. The commissioner shall
promulgate rules and regulations for notifying such admittees of  possi-
ble available services and for arranging a requested transfer.
  S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD13085-01-5

2015-S6077A (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Health
Law Section:: Public Health Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §2805-b, add Art 26-B §2640, Pub Health L
Versions Introduced in 2017-2018 Legislative Session:: S2739

2015-S6077A (ACTIVE) - Summary

2015-S6077A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S6077A

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to amend the public health law, in relation
to requiring hospitals and physicians to include certain information
regarding military service of patients or persons close to patients on
admission forms

 PURPOSE : This bill will help assure certain medical conditions and
medical information is addressed by medical doctors with patients that
may have been veterans and then using that information to better serve
that particular patient.

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS : Section 1. Subdivision 5 of section 2805-b of
the public health law, as added by chapter 694 of the laws of 1986, is
amended to read as follows:

5. The staff of a general hospital shall inquire whether or not the
person admitted is a veteran, as defined in section eighty-five of the
civil service law. The admissions form shall include information
including, but not limited to, whether the patient or someone close to
the patient has ever served in the military, who served in the
military, when and where did the person serve, what was the person in
the military's job description, whether the patient is currently
registered with the veterans administration, and whether the patients
currently receiving any benefits from the veterans administration.
The staff shall notify any admittee who is a veteran of the possible

availability of services at a hospital operated by the veterans
administration, and, upon request by the admittee, such staff shall
make arrangements for the individual's transfer to a veterans
administration operated hospital. Transfers shall be authorized only
after it has been determined, according to accepted clinical and
medical standards, that the patient's condition has stabilized and
transfer can be accomplished safely and without complication. The
commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations for notifying such
admittees of possible available service s and for arranging a
requested transfer.

§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

 EXISTING LAW : No law currently addresses this issue

 JUSTIFICATION : When a patient answers "no" to a single question,
"Have you ever served in the military?" his or her service history has
been completed. however the 21 million patients who answer "yes" will
benefit because possible service-related causes will now be included
in the differential diagnosis of their medical complaints, and
statistical correlations between a risk like dioxin exposure and
medical illness might be made years earlier. (Some Vietnam-era
veterans might have received treatment and disability benefits 20 to
30 years sooner and others might not have died in the interim.) If
every adult patient is asked this single question, pooled electronic
health data could be used to detect association between illness and
deployment. This will be especially important for female soldiers who
require ongoing monitoring for possible complications of pregnancy and
birth defects.  And physicians might now refer underinsured veterans
to Veterans Affairs Facilities for treatment they could not otherwise
afford.  Although teaching how and why to take a military health
history should be taught in medical school curricula along with other
medical history questions we can begin with simply asking these few
questions to start a dialogue.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY : None

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS : None to the state

 LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS : None
 EFFECTIVE DATE : act shall take effect immediately

2015-S6077A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                 6077--A

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                            October 27, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen. LATIMER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be  committed  to  the  Committee  on  Rules  --  committee
  discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
  to said committee

AN  ACT  to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring hospi-
  tals and physicians to include certain information regarding  military
  service of patients or persons close to patients on admission forms

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Subdivision 5 of section 2805-b of the public  health  law,
as  added  by  chapter  694  of  the laws of 1986, is amended to read as
follows:
  5. The staff of a general hospital shall inquire whether  or  not  the
person  admitted  is a veteran, as defined in section eighty-five of the
civil service law. [Such information shall be listed on the] THE  admis-
sions  form  SHALL  INCLUDE  INFORMATION  INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO,
WHETHER THE PATIENT OR SOMEONE CLOSE TO THE PATIENT HAS EVER  SERVED  IN
THE  MILITARY, WHO SERVED IN THE MILITARY, WHEN AND WHERE DID THE PERSON
SERVE, WHAT WAS THE PERSON IN THE MILITARY'S  JOB  DESCRIPTION,  WHETHER
THE  PATIENT  IS  CURRENTLY REGISTERED WITH THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION,
AND WHETHER THE PATIENT IS CURRENTLY RECEIVING  ANY  BENEFITS  FROM  THE
VETERANS  ADMINISTRATION.   The staff shall notify any admittee who is a
veteran of the possible availability of services at a hospital  operated
by  the veterans administration, and, upon request by the admittee, such
staff shall make arrangements for the individual's transfer to a  veter-
ans administration operated hospital. Transfers shall be authorized only
after it has been determined, according to accepted clinical and medical
standards,  that the patient's condition has stabilized and transfer can
be accomplished safely and without complication. The commissioner  shall
promulgate  rules and regulations for notifying such admittees of possi-
ble available services and for arranging a requested transfer.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD13085-02-5

S. 6077--A                          2

  S 2.  The public health law is amended by adding a new article 26-B to
read as follows:
                              ARTICLE 26-B
                         MILITARY SERVICE INQUIRY
SECTION 2640. MILITARY SERVICE; DUTY TO INQUIRE AND RECORD.
  S  2640. MILITARY SERVICE; DUTY TO INQUIRE AND RECORD. 1. EVERY PHYSI-
CIAN SHALL INQUIRE OF EVERY RESIDENT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COMING  TO
SUCH  PHYSICIAN FOR SERVICES OR TREATMENT WHETHER THE PERSON IS A VETER-
AN, AS DEFINED IN SECTION EIGHTY-FIVE OF  THE  CIVIL  SERVICE  LAW,  AND
SHALL  RECORD  THE  ANSWERS  TO  SUCH  INQUIRY  IN THE PATIENT'S MEDICAL
RECORD. THE PHYSICIAN SHALL RECORD, AT A MINIMUM, THE FOLLOWING INFORMA-
TION: WHETHER THE PATIENT OR SOMEONE  CLOSE  TO  THE  PATIENT  HAS  EVER
SERVED  IN  THE MILITARY, WHO SERVED IN THE MILITARY, WHEN AND WHERE DID
THE PERSON SERVE, WHAT WAS THE PERSON IN THE MILITARY'S JOB DESCRIPTION,
WHETHER THE PATIENT IS CURRENTLY REGISTERED WITH THE  VETERANS  ADMINIS-
TRATION,  AND  WHETHER  THE  PATIENT IS CURRENTLY RECEIVING ANY BENEFITS
FROM THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION.
  2. EACH PHYSICIAN PROVIDING SERVICES OR  TREATMENT  TO  A  VETERAN  OR
SOMEONE  CLOSE  TO  A  VETERAN SHALL NOTIFY SUCH PATIENT OF THE POSSIBLE
AVAILABILITY OF SERVICES AT A HOSPITAL OPERATED BY THE VETERANS ADMINIS-
TRATION AND, UPON REQUEST BY THE PATIENT, SUCH PHYSICIAN SHALL  TRANSFER
THE  PATIENT'S  MEDICAL RECORDS TO SUCH HOSPITAL. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL
PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR NOTIFYING SUCH PATIENT OF  POSSIBLE
AVAILABLE SERVICES AND FOR ARRANGING FOR A TRANSFER OF MEDICAL RECORDS.
  S 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Find your Senator and share your views on important issues.

Do you support this bill?

Senate Bill S6077A

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Health Committee

Actions

Bill Amendments

2015-S6077 - Details

2015-S6077 - Summary

2015-S6077 - Sponsor Memo

2015-S6077 - Bill Text download pdf

2015-S6077A (ACTIVE) - Details

2015-S6077A (ACTIVE) - Summary

2015-S6077A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2015-S6077A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Do you support this bill?

Get Status Alerts for 2015-S6077A

Senate Bill S6077A

Share this bill

Sponsored By

George Latimer

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Health Committee

Actions

Bill Amendments

2015-S6077 - Details

2015-S6077 - Summary

2015-S6077 - Sponsor Memo

2015-S6077 - Bill Text download pdf

2015-S6077A (ACTIVE) - Details

2015-S6077A (ACTIVE) - Summary

2015-S6077A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2015-S6077A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments