NOTICE OF PROPOSED CHANGES ON MEDICOLEGAL DEATH INVESTIGATION IN THE REGULATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION The Department of Health & Social Services proposes to change regulations on medicolegal death investigation. |
The Department of Health & Social Services proposes to adopt regulation changes in Title 7 of the Alaska Administrative Code, dealing with medicolegal death investigation, including the following:
7 AAC 35. Embalming and Other Post-Mortem Services, is proposed to be changed as follows:
- Add a new article, Medicolegal Death Investigation, State Medical Examiner Office, to
- clarify the death investigation process to include state jurisdiction;
- clarify who can claim a decedent and decedent’s property;
- clarify procedure to view a decedent; and
- define terminology.
You may comment on the proposed regulation changes, including the potential costs to private persons of complying with the proposed changes, by submitting written comments to Mr. Stephen J. Hoage, at the State Medical Examiner’s Office, 5455 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99507. Additionally, the Department of Health & Social Services will accept comments by facsimile at (907) 334-2216 and by electronic mail at stephen.hoage@alaska.gov . The comments must be received not later than 5 p.m. on March 24, 2020.
Oral or written comments also may be submitted at a hearing to be held on March 19, 2020, at Suite 756, Frontier Building, 3601 C Street, Anchorage, AK 99503. The hearing will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and might be extended to accommodate those present before 12:15 p.m. who did not have an opportunity to comment. If you are unable to attend in person, but would like to comment during the oral public hearing, you can call the teleconference number 1-(888)-392-4560 (Toll Free), and use the participant code 54391245#.
You may submit written questions relevant to the proposed action to Mr. Stephen Hoage, by e-mail at stephen.hoage@alaska.gov, or by mail at the State Medical Examiner’s Office, 5455 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99507. The questions must be received at least 10 days before the end of the public comment period. The Department of Health & Social Services will aggregate its response to substantially similar questions and make the questions and responses available on the Alaska Online Public Notice System.
If you are a person with a disability who needs a special accommodation in order to participate in this process, please contact Mr. Stephen Hoage at stephen.hoage@alaska.gov or at (907) 334-2202 no later than March 11, 2020, to ensure that any necessary accommodations can be provided.
A copy of the proposed regulation changes is available on the Alaska Online Public Notice System and by contacting Mr. Stephen Hoage at stephen.hoage@alaska.gov , or at (907) 334-2202.
A copy of material proposed for adoption by reference may be viewed at the agency's office at the Department of Health & Social Services, the State Medical Examiner’s Office, 5455 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99507.
After the public comment period ends, the Department of Health & Social Services will either adopt the proposed regulation changes or other provisions dealing with the same subject, without further notice, or decide to take no action. The language of the final regulation may be different from that of the proposed regulation. You should comment during the time allowed if your interests could be affected. Written comments received are public records and are subject to public inspection.
Statutory authority: AS 12.65.005; AS 12.65.015; AS 12.65.020; AS 13.75.020; AS 18.05.040.
Statutes being implemented, interpreted, or made specific: AS 12.65.005; AS 12.65.015; AS 12.65.020; AS 13.75.020; AS 18.05.040.
Fiscal information: The proposed regulation changes are not expected to require an increased appropriation.
The State Medical Examiner’s Office/Division of Public Health/Department of Health & Social Services keeps a list of individuals and organizations interested in its regulations. Those on the list will automatically be sent a copy of all of the Division of Public Health/Department of Health & Social Services notices of proposed regulation changes. To be added to or removed from the list, send a request to the Division of Public Health/Department of Health & Social Services at stephen.hoage@alaska.gov , giving your name, and either your e-mail address or mailing address, as you prefer for receiving notices.
DATE: January 23, 2020.
/s/Adam Crum
Commissioner,
Department of Health & Social Services.