Veteran overdose deaths.

Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health under the direction of the State Public Health Officer. Existing law requires that each death be registered with the local registrar of births and deaths in the district in which the death was officially pronounced or the body was found. Existing law sets forth the persons responsible for completing the certificate of death and the required contents of the certificate, including, but not limited to, the decedent's name, sex, and birthplace. Existing law requires a person completing the certificate of death to record whether the decedent was ever in the Armed Forces of the United States. Existing law also requires the State Department of Public Health to access data within the electronic death registration system to compile a report on veteran suicide in California and requires the department to annually provide that report to the Legislature and the Department of Veterans Affairs. This bill would require the State Department of Public Health to access data within the electronic death registration system to compile a report on veteran drug overdose deaths in California and require the department to annually provide that report to the Legislature and the Department of Veteran Affairs on or before March 15 each year. The bill would require the report to include a cross-tabulation of the specified data and compare it to the data from the previous year. The bill would also require the California Overdose Surveillance Dashboard to reflect overdose deaths by veterans.