BILL NUMBER: S8968
SPONSOR: SCARCELLA-SPANTON
 
TITLE OF BILL: An act
to amend the public health law, in relation to establishing a veteran
suicide mortality review board
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Creates the VSMRB within the Department of Health, in consultation with
the Office of Mental Health and the Division of Veterans' Services. The
VSMRB will include representatives from DOH, OMH, the Division of Veter-
ans' Services, coroners/medical examiners, mental health clinicians,
public health experts, and a VA liaison. The board is authorized to
access relevant records while maintaining confidentiality, review all
veteran suicide deaths (including recently separated service members),
coordinate with state and federal agencies, and issue an annual report
to the Governor and Legislature with trends, gaps, and actionable policy
recommendations. Staffing and administrative support will be provided
by DOH, and the board may utilize existing federal and state resources
and technical assistance.
The bill takes effect six months after enactment, with the board conven-
ing its first meeting within 90 days.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Veterans in New York die by suicide at twice the rate of civilians and
younger veterans are particularly at risk; Veteran suicide is a signif-
icant public health crisis in New York. Nationally, more than 6,400
veterans died by suicide in 2022, underscoring the urgency of targeted
and sustained prevention efforts. New York State has already committed,
as a matter of policy, to addressing it through participation in federal
veteran suicide prevention and mortality review initiatives led by the
United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration.
New York has formally joined the Governor's Challenge to Prevent Veteran
Suicide and has convened stakeholder meetings and implementation
discussions, to develop a Veteran Suicide Mortality Review process.
However, despite these commitments, the review board has not been fully
implemented or operationalized because it lacks a clear statutory frame-
work requiring interagency cooperation, data sharing and coordinated
review. As is the case with other mortality review efforts, the absence
of statutory authority has resulted in fragmented and incomplete imple-
mentation. Under current law, state agencies are not mandated to share
information, participate in reviews, or align their efforts in a unified
manner.
As a result, data remains fragmented across the Department of Health,
the Office of Mental Health, the Division of Veterans' Services, medical
examiners, and federal partners, undermining the State's ability to
conduct comprehensive reviews, identify systemic failures, and make
effective policy recommendations. Without clear statutory direction,
participation remains discretionary, reviews are inconsistent, and the
State is unable to fully analyze the circumstances surrounding veteran
suicide deaths or identify systemic gaps in care, services, and transi-
tions. This lack of coordination significantly limits the State's abili-
ty to develop evidence-based recommendations to prevent future deaths.
This bill establishes the statutory structure necessary to implement
existing State policy as intended. It does not create a new program or
duplicate existing efforts.
Rather, it codifies and formalizes the Veteran Suicide Mortality Review
Board within the Department of Health, ensuring that the work already
underway is conducted in a coordinated, multidisciplinary, and non-frag-
mented manner. The board already has identified funding streams and is
intended to operate within existing Department of Health infrastructure.
This legislation simply provides the legal authority required to mandate
interagency participation, protect confidentiality, and ensure consist-
ent review and reporting. By placing the Veteran Suicide Mortality
Review Board in statute, this bill ensures accountability, durability,
and effectiveness. A statutory mandate is the only mechanism that will
allow New York State to fully implement its existing commitments, elimi-
nate silos between agencies, and conduct meaningful, data-driven suicide
prevention work for veterans across the State.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Bill
 
FISCAL IMPACT:
Minimal. The board will build upon current funding streams, including
federal technical assistance and grant-supported activities associated
with the Governor's Challenge to Prevent Veteran Suicide and related
United States Department of Veterans Affairs and Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration programs.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This section shall take six months after enactment, and the board shall
convene its first meeting within 90 days of the effective date.