AB 2918 Summary

• Establishes the Ending Military Suicide Task Force within the State Department of Public Health to systematically reduce military suicides and eliminate all military suicides in California by January 1, 2027.

• Task force shall include stakeholders from the Military Department's mental health and chaplaincy programs, Department of Veterans Affairs representatives, and invited participants from the U.S. Department of Defense, National Guard Association of California, veterans service organizations, and mental health researchers.

• Department of Public Health shall support the task force using existing resources and may accept and expend funds from nongovernmental sources.

• Requires the department to submit a report to the Governor and Legislature by June 1, 2021, and annually thereafter, including analysis of strategies to reduce military suicides, existing federal and state programs, and factors contributing to military suicidal ideation.

• Report must establish near-, intermediate-, and long-term benchmarks to measure progress toward eliminating military suicides by January 1, 2027.