Veteran Suicide Data Task Force Bill

Summary#

SB-1495 would create a new law called the Veteran Suicide Prevention Act; it does not amend an existing Act. Its stated goal is to study veteran suicides in Pennsylvania and recommend actions to slow the rate. The bill has been introduced and referred to a Senate committee, so it is not law.

  • It would establish a task force inside the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), not a separate agency. The task force must study suicide data, including total numbers and how deaths relate to veteran support efforts and mental health resources, then report to the Governor and General Assembly.
  • The Adjutant General or a designee would chair the task force and appoint its members. The roster includes State Veterans Commission and DMVA representatives; veterans’ mental-health advocates; mental-health, medical and substance-use treatment providers with specified veteran experience; county coroners; a forensic pathologist; a county veteran-court judge; a county veterans’ affairs directors’ association representative; veteran service organization commanders; and other people the Adjutant General identifies as having relevant experience.
  • Each county coroner would have to send the task force monthly information about veteran suicides for two years. The information must include sex, age, race, service branch if known, cause and mechanism of death, and certain ZIP codes if known.
  • DMVA would have to set up a secure way to submit the data and maintain its confidentiality. The task force would have to report within 30 months of the effective date. The Act would expire 36 months after it takes effect.

What it means for you#

  • County coroners: They would have to provide the listed information monthly for two years, using the submission process DMVA establishes.
  • DMVA: It would have to establish that secure submission process and provide two members to the task force.
  • Task force members: They would be appointed by the Adjutant General or a designee. The task force would study the data and submit a report with a proposal to slow veteran suicide.
  • Veterans and the public: The bill does not create a direct benefit, treatment service, or new right for veterans. It does not require the Governor or General Assembly to adopt the task force’s recommendations.

Money#

No publicly available information on the bill’s costs.

  • The bill assigns duties to DMVA and county coroners but gives no cost estimate, staffing estimate, or funding amount.
  • It does not set a fee, fine, tax, or benefit.

What is unclear#

  • The bill does not define “veteran” or explain how a coroner should determine whether a person who died was a veteran.
  • DMVA must set a secure submission process, but the bill does not specify the security measures or say whether the data may be made public.
  • It does not say how the task force should assess the “proximity” of deaths to support efforts or mental health resources.
  • It does not require particular actions after the report, or explain how its recommendations would be put into effect.
  • The bill gives the task force a 30-month reporting deadline but makes the Act expire after 36 months. It does not explain whether any work continues after expiration.

Case for#

  • A possible argument for the bill is that monthly county data could give the task force more timely information than a one-time count.
  • The required fields could help the task force examine patterns by age, race, service branch, location, and circumstances of death.
  • The task force would bring together veterans’ representatives, coroners, health-care providers, and government staff to prepare recommendations.
  • Requiring a secure submission process and confidentiality reflects the sensitivity of the information.

Case against#

  • One concern is that the bill requires detailed information, including location and cause of death, but leaves the privacy protections and handling rules to DMVA.
  • Monthly reporting would add work for county coroners, but the bill provides no funding or estimate of that workload.
  • The bill does not define who counts as a veteran, which could affect whether the data are complete or consistent across counties.
  • The task force must recommend actions, but the bill does not require anyone to carry them out or provide funds for them.