Information for Hospitals

Public Health Law requires hospitals to send unreported sexual offense evidence collection kits (SOECKs) to the Office of Victim Services (OVS) Storage Facility where they must be kept for up to 20 years from the date of collection. 
To facilitate the transfer of SOECKs and other items collected, OVS uses the Kit Inventory and Tracking System (KITS). Hospitals must enter the victim of crime’s information into the system and the details of the items collected, track the location of the items in the hospital, and document when and how the hospital sends items to the OVS Storage Facility. 
 

OVS developed guidance for hospitals about recommended storage conditions for SOECKs, drug facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) collections, and other items; its Phase-In Plan for receiving kits at the storage facility; how OVS will provide training materials to hospitals; the way in which hospitals should provide information to victims of crime during the onboarding process; and how they should ship items to the facility.
The Phase-In Plan allows OVS to determine the time it will take the storage facility to receive, process, and store kits and related items. It also gives OVS the flexibility to adjust its intake process as needed to allow for smooth operation of the facility, which can only accept a certain number of kits per day.  

• Guidance for Storage and Transfer of all Unreported SOECKs (11/2022)
• Phase-In Plan Map (03/2023)

The New York State Police provides the following resources to hospitals and medical providers, who can use them to develop of their own chain of custody procedures.  

• Evidence Record
• Receipt and Release of Property
• Crime Laboratory Evidence Submission
• Evidence Submission Supplemental