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Q&A
OCME's federal funding decrease and future grant prospects
3:51:30
ยท
89 sec
Council Member Lynn Schulman inquires about the decrease in federal funding for the Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) and the prospects for future grants. Dr. Jason Graham, the Chief Medical Examiner, responds by explaining the current status of their federal grants and the uncertainty surrounding future funding.
- OCME's budget is primarily (over 99%) funded by city tax levy
- Current federal grants amount to $7,100,000 for FY 2025 and have not been affected by cuts
- There is no clear indication of how future federal grants might be impacted
Lynn Schulman
3:51:30
So in the preliminary plan, OCME's federal funding decreased by $23,200,000 in fiscal twenty twenty six compared to the fiscal twenty twenty five adopted budget, down to zero.
3:51:45
While OCME has received federal funding for COVID nineteen services in the past prior to the sunsetting of COVID nineteen dollars, OCME has also received additional federal grants for services such as opioid abuse and forensic research.
3:51:59
Does OCME anticipate receiving additional federal grants for fiscal twenty twenty six?
Jason Graham
3:52:06
The vast majority of our budget at OCME is city tax levy, over 99%.
3:52:13
And our current federal grants are not affected by any federal cuts.
3:52:21
We are, at this point, have had no solid communication as to the, or any unambiguous communication from the federal government as to what if any effects to grants we will incur going forward.
3:52:34
We're gonna work closely with OMB once we have additional guidance.
3:52:39
But our grants at the moment have been unaffected and we for FY twenty five have federal grants of $7,100,000.
Lynn Schulman
3:52:47
Okay.
3:52:47
Is there any chance that those will go away or
Jason Graham
3:52:51
At the at the moment, we would have to wait for additional guidance.
3:52:55
We have no reason to believe that at this point.
3:52:57
They've been unaffected so far.