FISCAL NOTE



FUND(S):

0407-Central Office General Administrative Fund

Sources of Revenue:

General Fund

Legislation creates:

A New Program



Fiscal Note Summary


Effect this measure will have on costs and revenues of state government.


"The purpose of this bill is to create a maternal mortality review team and to establish its members and responsibilities. " "The bill establishes a Maternal Mortality Review Team (MMRT), under the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The MMRT will be a multi-disciplinary team created to review the deaths of women who die during pregnancy, at the time of birth or within one year of the birth of a child. " Preliminary 2006 data provided by the State Registrar in the Department's Office of Vital Statistics, indicated that two (2) deaths appeared to be directly related to pregnancy or to postpartum conditions. An additional twelve (12) deaths occurred to women who delivered a baby or had a fetal death sometime in the twelve (12) months preceding their deaths, but the death certificate does not specify pregnancy or postpartum related causes. Trend data on maternal deaths over a longer term period (i.e. 5-10 years) may provide a clearer picture of the range and scope of cases for review by the MMRT. Maternal mortality trend data is not available at this time. Based on financial comparisons of the current Child Fatality Review Team (CFRT) and the current Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team (DVFRT), the Department estimates the fiscal impact of this bill to be $24,952. This is based on the need for an additional 0.4 FTE for a HHR Specialist, Sr and a 0.25 FTE Office Assistant I to coordinate the efforts of the committee.



Fiscal Note Detail


Effect of Proposal Fiscal Year
2008
Increase/Decrease
(use"-")
2009
Increase/Decrease
(use"-")
Fiscal Year
(Upon Full
Implementation)
1. Estmated Total Cost 0 24,952 24,952
Personal Services 0 23,952 23,952
Current Expenses 0 1,000 1,000
Repairs and Alterations 0 0 0
Assets 0 0 0
Other 0 0 0
2. Estimated Total Revenues 0 0 0


Explanation of above estimates (including long-range effect):


Personal services includes salary of $15,530 and benefits of $3,208 for a part-time (0.40 FTE) HHR Specialist, Sr. (Coordinator) and salary of $4,293 and benefits of $921 for a part-time (0.25 FTE) Office Assistant I. Each member of the MMRT shall serve without additional compensation and may not be reimbursed for any expenses incurred in the discharge of his or her duties under the provisions of this article, therefore no cost has been included for the members of the MMRT. Current expenses of $1,000 will be used for office supplies, printing of materials, etc. The proposed legislation does not provide for any type of revenue collection.



Memorandum


Establishment of the MMRT under the Department's Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health which is responsible for promoting maternal health, may be more appropriate for the following reasons: The MMRT differs from the CFRT and the DVFRT which are established under the Department's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME). Under the DVFRT, all deaths are investigated and archived at the OCME. Under the CFRT, reviewed cases are selected for circumstances of largely non-natural death (and thus investigated by, and archived at the OCME). The majority of maternal deaths are natural in cause and would not be subject to investigation by the OCME under normal circumstances. ยง48 25A 2. (3) The Director of the Office of Maternal Child and Family Health Program in the Bureau of for Public Health or a designee;



    Person submitting Fiscal Note: Martha Yeager Walker
    Email Address: fnbudoff@wvdhhr.org