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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Fourth Legislature, Second Regular Session
veteran suicides; annual report
Purpose
Requires the Department of Health Services (DHS) to include utilization and encounter data from specified nonprofit veterans' services organizations in their annual report on veteran suicides.
Background
Current statute requires DHS, beginning January 1, 2020, to annually compile a report on veteran suicides in Arizona. This report must contain certain information, including: 1) the number and rate of veteran suicides in Arizona each year; 2) historic trends of veteran suicide rates and instances of the most common suicide mechanism; 3) national and regional veteran suicide comparisons; and 4) an analysis of potential life lost, relative risk and specific identifiable patterns in veteran suicides. The report is prohibited from containing identifiers that make it possible to identify any individual who has died by suicide, and is considered confidential and not subject to subpoena, discovery or introduction into evidence in any civil or criminal proceeding. The Arizona Department of Veterans' Services (ADVS) is required to make all data, including protected health information as necessary, available to DHS in order to compile this report (A.R.S. § 36-146).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Adds utilization and encounter data for a nonprofit veterans' services organization that works to reduce veteran suicides in Arizona to the information required to be included in the annual DHS report.
2. Allows data shared between ADVS and DHS to include national, state and local sources as available.
3. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
House Action
MVA 1/27/20 DP 7-0-0-0
3rd Read 2/6/20 60-0-0
Prepared by Senate Research
March 2, 2020
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