COBI 2015 - Office of the Medical Examiner

Overview
Issues
Background
Financials

Sources Uses

FY 2016 Appropriation

The Office of the Medical Examiner is responsible for the investigation and certification of sudden and unexpected deaths that occur within the borders of the State. UCA 26-4-7 specifies the specific circumstances surrounding any given death which place it under the jurisdiction of the Medical Examiner, such as:

Sudden death while in apparent good health.
Under suspicious or unusual circumstances.
Resulting from poisoning or overdose of drugs.
Highway accidents.
The Medical Examiner approves cremations and corpse removal permits.

Funding History

Appropriation Overview

During the 2015 General Session, the Legislature appropriated for Fiscal Year 2016, $4,238,100 from all sources for Office of the Medical Examiner. This is a 1.2 percent increase from Fiscal Year 2015 revised estimated amounts from all sources. The total includes $3,752,700 from the General/Education Funds, an increase of 5.8 percent from revised Fiscal Year 2015 estimates.

Appropriation Adjustments

In addition to statewide compensation and internal service fund cost increases, the following appropriation adjustments were made during the 2015 General Session:

DescriptionOngoingOne-Time Office of Medical Examiner 24/7 Body Pick Up$58,000$0

OngoingOne-TimeFinancing Source

$58,000$0General Fund

"Fund 3 part-time additional morgue clerks so that funeral homes can deliver and pick up bodies from the Medical Examiner's office 24/7 - currently restricted pick up times."

Staff Analysis

National Certification for the Office of Medical Examiner?

The Office of the Medical Examiner was recently pursuing national accreditation of its operations. Utah's Office lost accreditation in 1995 because highways deaths were not automatically under medical examiner jurisdiction in Utah Code. This changed with the passage of SB 13 Medical Examiner Amendments in the 2012 General Session. The Department of Health indicates: "Continuing deficiencies in staffing and increasing workload prevent the office from being ready to apply for accreditation at this time."

The Medical Examiner pays for roundtrip transportation of bodies under its jurisdiction. A contracted transportation service is used along the Wasatch Front; funeral homes provide all other transportation.

Intent Language

HB0003: Item 77

Under Section 63J-1-603 of the Utah Code, the Legislature intends that up to $500,000 of Item 22 of Chapter 13, Laws of Utah 2014, for the Department of Health's Disease Control and Prevention line item for alcohol, tobacco, and other drug prevention reduction, cessation, and control programs shall not lapse at the close of Fiscal Year 2015. The use of any nonlapsing funds is limited to alcohol, tobacco, and other drug prevention, reduction, cessation, and control programs or for emergent disease control and prevention needs.

HB0003: Item 77

Under Section 63J-1-603 of the Utah Code, the Legislature intends that up to $525,000 of Item 22 of Chapter 13, Laws of Utah 2014 for the Department of Health's Disease Control and Prevention line item shall not lapse at the close of Fiscal Year 2015. The use of any nonlapsing funds is limited to laboratory equipment, computer equipment, software, and building improvements.

HB0003: Item 77

Under Section 63J-1-603 of the Utah Code, the Legislature intends that up to $175,000 of Item 22 of Chapter 13, Laws of Utah 2014 for the Department of Health's Disease Control and Prevention line item shall not lapse at the close of Fiscal Year 2015. The use of any nonlapsing funds is limited to maintenance or replacement of computer equipment, software, or other purchases or services that improve or expand the services provided by the Bureau of Epidemiology.

HB0003: Item 77

Under Section 63J-1-603 of the Utah Code, the Legislature intends that up to $250,000 of Item 21 of Chapter 13, Laws of Utah 2014 fees collected for the Newborn Screening Program shall not lapse at the close of Fiscal Year 2015. The use of any nonlapsing funds is limited to maintenance, upgrading, replacement, or purchase of laboratory or computer equipment and software.

SB0003: Item 116

Under Section 63J-1-603 of the Utah Code the Legislature intends that up to $75,000 funds of Item 22 of Chapter 13, Laws of Utah 2014, not otherwise designated as nonlapsing to the Department of Health - Disease Control and Prevention line item shall not lapse at the close of Fiscal Year 2015. The use of any nonlapsing funds is for services to people with traumatic brain injury.

SB0007S01: Item 2

The Legislature intends that the Department of Health report on the following performance measures for the Disease Control and Prevention line item: (1) Gonorrhea cases per 100,000 population (Target = 18.9 people or less), (2) Percentage of Adults Who Are Current Smokers (Target = 9%), and (3) Percentage of Toxicology Cases Completed within 14 day Goal (Target = 100%) by January 1, 2016 to the Social Services Appropriations Subcommittee.

SB0007S01: Item 2

The Legislature intends that the Department of Health research and report government entities paying for services that could be provided by the State Laboratory and give this information to the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst by September 1, 2015. The report shall include: (1) the name of the government entity, (2) amount paid for the service, (3) what the cost would be if the service was provided by the State Laboratory, and (4) any potential barriers to the State Laboratory for bidding on those services. The Department of Health shall also detail its assumptions for its costs on all laboratory services that government entities are purchasing in the private sector.

SB0007S01: Item 12

The monthly caseload is the number of full autopsies.

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Expenditure Category

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Appropriation History by

Sources of Finance	FY11 Actual	FY12 Actual	FY13 Actual	FY14 Actual	FY15 Approp	FY15 Change	FY15 Revised	FY16 Change	FY16 Approp
General Fund	2,621,400	3,088,800	3,409,800	3,473,500	3,538,100	0	3,538,100	204,500	3,742,600
General Fund, One-time	0	0	0	3,600	7,300	0	7,300	2,800	10,100
Dedicated Credits Revenue	316,400	363,000	361,400	443,100	371,100	(3,100)	368,000	17,400	385,400
Dept. of Public Safety Rest. Acct.	100,000	100,000	100,000	100,000	100,000	0	100,000	0	100,000
Beginning Nonlapsing	0	175,000	175,000	175,000	0	175,000	175,000	(175,000)	0
Closing Nonlapsing	(175,000)	(175,000)	(175,000)	(175,000)	0	0	0	0	0
Lapsing Balance	(11,300)	68,300	75,100	13,300	0	0	0	0	0
Total	$2,851,500	$3,620,100	$3,946,300	$4,033,500	$4,016,500	$171,900	$4,188,400	$49,700	$4,238,100

Categories of Expenditure	FY11 Actual	FY12 Actual	FY13 Actual	FY14 Actual	FY15 Approp	FY15 Change	FY15 Revised	FY16 Change	FY16 Approp
Personnel Services	2,073,400	2,556,200	2,755,600	2,931,400	3,060,000	(248,400)	2,811,600	221,500	3,033,100
In-state Travel	4,100	3,400	7,600	9,300	8,000	2,500	10,500	0	10,500
Out-of-state Travel	7,200	15,100	13,400	11,800	13,500	(100)	13,400	0	13,400
Current Expense	729,500	931,800	1,111,800	1,012,200	889,000	241,700	1,130,700	1,100	1,131,800
DP Current Expense	37,300	77,300	57,900	46,300	46,000	1,200	47,200	2,100	49,300
DP Capital Outlay	0	0	0	0	0	175,000	175,000	(175,000)	0
Capital Outlay	0	36,300	0	22,500	0	0	0	0	0
Total	$2,851,500	$3,620,100	$3,946,300	$4,033,500	$4,016,500	$171,900	$4,188,400	$49,700	$4,238,100

Show Table | Show Additional Information

Other Indicators	FY11 Actual	FY12 Actual	FY13 Actual	FY14 Actual	FY15 Approp	FY15 Change	FY15 Revised	FY16 Approp
Budgeted FTE	25.40	27	30.05	30.20	30.75	0.92	31.67	31.67
Actual FTE	25.30	27.50	29.90	31.50	0	0	0	0
Vehicles	3	3	3	3	3	0	3	3
Monthly Caseload	164	188	210	220	0	0	0	0

COBI contains unaudited data as presented to the Legislature by state agencies at the time of publication. For audited financial data see the State of Utah's Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports.