S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7738
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              January 7, 2022
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  BROOKS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the county law, the public health law and the  executive
   law, in relation to reporting veteran suicide
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1. Subdivision 10 of section 677 of the county law,  as  added
 by  a chapter of the laws of 2021 amending the county law and the execu-
 tive law relating to the reporting of a veteran's suicide,  as  proposed
 in legislative bills numbers S. 2036-B and A. 3237-A, is amended to read
 as follows:
   10.  (A)  The  coroner,  coroner's physician or medical examiner shall
 report to the division of veterans' services, in a form, and time  frame
 developed  by  [such division] THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH in a manner that
 is protective of privacy and contains aggregate, rather than  individual
 data  to the extent practicable, any death which appears to be caused by
 suicide by a person who, to the  knowledge  of  the  coroner,  coroner's
 physician or medical examiner, is a veteran.
   (B)  FOR  THE PURPOSES OF THIS SUBDIVISION, VETERAN MEANS A PERSON WHO
 SERVED IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY, NAVY, AIR FORCE, SPACE  FORCE,  MARINE
 CORPS, COAST GUARD, AND/OR RESERVES THEREOF, AND/OR IN THE ARMY NATIONAL
 GUARD, AIR NATIONAL GUARD, NEW YORK GUARD AND/OR NEW YORK NAVAL MILITIA,
 AND/OR  WHO SERVED AS A MEMBER OF THE COMMISSIONED CORPS OF THE NATIONAL
 OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC  ADMINISTRATION  OR  THE  UNITED  STATES  PUBLIC
 HEALTH SERVICE REGARDLESS OF DISCHARGE STATUS.
   §  1-a.  Subdivision  1  of  section  201  of the public health law is
 amended by adding a new paragraph (y) to read as follows:
   (Y) TO DEVELOP A FORM BY  WHICH  A  CORONER,  CORONER'S  PHYSICIAN  OR
 MEDICAL  EXAMINER,  PURSUANT TO SECTION SIX HUNDRED SEVENTY-SEVEN OF THE
 COUNTY LAW, SHALL REPORT TO THE DIVISION OF VETERANS' SERVICES ANY DEATH
 WHICH APPEARS TO BE CAUSED BY SUICIDE BY A PERSON WHO, TO THE  KNOWLEDGE
 OF  THE  CORONER, CORONER'S PHYSICIAN OR MEDICAL EXAMINER, IS A VETERAN.
 THIS FORM SHALL AT A MINIMUM: (I) ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH  THE  STRICTEST
 PRIVACY  PROTECTIONS AND ENCOURAGE DATA AGGREGATION TO THE EXTENT FEASI-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD03672-06-2
 S. 7738                             2
 
 BLE; (II) PROVIDE THE ADDRESS TO WHICH THE  FORM  IS  TO  BE  MAILED  OR
 SUBMITTED  ELECTRONICALLY; AND (III) INCLUDE THE COUNTY OF RESIDENCE AND
 THE BRANCH OF SERVICE OF DECEASED VETERANS DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD.
   § 2. Subdivision 26 of section 353 of the executive law, as added by a
 chapter  of  the  laws of 2021 amending the county law and the executive
 law relating to the reporting of a veteran's  suicide,  as  proposed  in
 legislative bills numbers S. 2036-B and A. 3237-A, is amended to read as
 follows:
   26.  [(a) To develop a form by which a coroner, coroner's physician or
 medical examiner, pursuant to section six hundred seventy-seven  of  the
 county law, shall report to the division any death which appears to be a
 suicide  by  a  person  who,  to the knowledge of the coroner, coroner's
 physician or medical examiner, is a veteran. This form shall at a  mini-
 mum:  (i)  ensure  compliance with the strictest privacy protections and
 encourage data aggregation to the  extent  feasible;  (ii)  provide  the
 address  to  which the form is to be mailed or submitted electronically;
 and (iii) include the county of residence and the branch of  service  of
 deceased veterans during the reporting period.
   (b)]  The  division shall: (i) forward completed forms RECEIVED FROM A
 CORONER, CORONER'S PHYSICIAN OR MEDICAL EXAMINER PURSUANT TO SECTION SIX
 HUNDRED SEVENTY-SEVEN OF THE COUNTY LAW to the office of mental  hygiene
 pursuant to subdivision (g) of section 7.07 of the mental hygiene law in
 a  timely manner; and (ii) compile such information for inclusion in the
 annual report pursuant to this section.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the  same  date  and  in  the  same
 manner as a chapter of the laws of 2021, amending the county law and the
 executive  law  relating  to  the  reporting  of a veteran's suicide, as
 proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 2036-B and A.  3237-A  ,  takes
 effect.