Requiring the dept of health and mental hygiene to provide notice of deaths to certain agencies and to require certain agencies to update records of program beneficiaries on a regular and continuous basis.

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the department of health and mental hygiene to provide notice of deaths to certain agencies and to require certain agencies to update records of program beneficiaries on a regular and continuous basis

This bill would require the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to deliver at least monthly notice of all persons for whom death certificates were issued in the prior calendar month to certain agencies. These agencies include, but are not limited to: the Department of Finance, the Human Resources Administration, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, and the New York City Housing Authority. These notices would need to be arranged by borough of residence, and include the name, last residence address, and birth date of each person for whom a certificate was issued. The bill would also require the specified agencies to consult the Social Security Death Index administered by the Social Security Administration and update their records on a regular and continuous basis. Furthermore, the bill would require the Commissioner of DOHMH to issue guidance to ensure the confidentiality of information contained in the notices they provide to agencies.