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NY A05624
Bill
Status
2/18/2025
Primary Sponsor
Nikki Lucas
Click for details
AI Summary
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Requires coroners and medical examiners to conduct mental health assessments for deaths in their jurisdiction, including review of medical records, psychiatric history, medication records, and therapy reports
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Mandates that death certificates list the underlying mental illness (such as schizophrenia, depression, PTSD, or bipolar disorder) as the cause of death rather than "suicide" when the mental health assessment identifies such conditions
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Eliminates the standard two-year suicide exclusion in life insurance policies when a mental health assessment determines the deceased had mental distress, illness, or a mental health disorder that is listed as the cause of death on the death certificate
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Requires all documents acquired or produced during mental health assessments to be kept confidential, protected from Freedom of Information Law disclosure, and used only for research and prevention efforts
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Takes effect 180 days after becoming law, with immediate authorization for agencies to develop necessary implementing regulations
Legislative Description
Enacts the mental health assessment and record keeping for the coroner's office act; requires the coroner, coroner and coroner's physician, or the medical examiner, to conduct a mental health assessment when a death occurs in such person's jurisdiction; requires death certificates list an underlying mental illness as the cause of death when a person commits suicide; requires life insurance policies to pay upon a suicide which the coroner, coroner and coroner's physician, or the medical examiner indicated an underlying mental illness as the cause of death.
Last Action
referred to local governments
1/7/2026