Requires Department of Veterans Affairs to verify unclaimed cremains of veterans, spouses, and dependents; requires funeral director report to Department of Veterans Affairs possession of unclaimed veteran, spouse, and dependent cremains.*

The bill now covers unclaimed cremains of veterans AND their eligible spouses and eligible dependents, not just veterans alone.

The responsible agency shifted from the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs (DMVA) to the newly referenced Department of Veterans Affairs, with duties now codified in N.J.S.38A:21-5 rather than N.J.S.38A:3-6 (the Adjutant General's statute).

A new requirement that the NJ-EDRS (New Jersey Electronic Death Registration System) send electronic notifications to the Department of Veterans Affairs upon completion of a death record and issuance of a cremation permit for a veteran, eligible spouse, or eligible dependent. The notification must include name, last known address, dates of service, date of death, and date the cremation permit was issued.

The Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Affairs must use those electronic notifications to identify funeral homes where remains were cremated and, on the first day of the 13th month after the cremation permit was issued, contact the funeral home to determine whether the cremains have been claimed. If unclaimed, the commissioner may assist in coordinating release to a qualified veterans' organization.

A new accountability provision requires the Commissioner of Health to appear before legislative committees if the NJ-EDRS has not been adapted to provide the required notifications within 7 months of enactment. Similarly, the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Affairs must appear before committees if they have not commenced using the notifications within that same period.

The effective date changed from immediate to immediately but inoperative until the first day of the seventh month following enactment, giving agencies 7 months to prepare. Commissioners may take anticipatory administrative action during that period.

A new rule-making section requires both the Commissioner of Health and the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Affairs to adopt rules and regulations under the Administrative Procedure Act to implement the bill.

Senator Diegnan was added as a co-sponsor alongside Senator Cruz-Perez.