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Welcome!
Welcome to the monthly newsletter for the Center for Health Statistics (CHS), Vital Records office. Here you will find important information like changes to the Oregon Vital Events Registration System (OVERS), updates to Oregon laws, process reminders, statistics and available reports.
In the table of contents on the left, you may choose a category to jump to articles of interest. We encourage everyone to read through other sections as well; something may just pertain to you and your facility.
Articles are often written as a direct result of questions or comments we receive from our partners. If you have any topics you would like addressed in a future newsletter, please let us know!
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REALD Training – Changes to the Parent Worksheet and OVERS
The Center for Health Statistics (CHS) will begin collecting REALD (Race, Ethnicity, Language and Disability) data for birth records starting January 1, 2022. REALD is a standard for data collection that introduces new questions which will appear in OVERS and on the Parent Worksheet.
In November, a link to the updated Parent Worksheet will be sent to Birth Information Specialists and midwives so that facilities and birthing centers have time to get the worksheet printed and ready for use on January 1.
CHS will be offering our second training webinar that will cover the changes to the Parent Worksheet and to OVERS.
The training will be done using Microsoft Teams. The training webinars will be every Tuesday and Thursday starting December 2 and ending December 21. There are two training times each day, one from 9:00 am to 10:00 am and the other from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm. As each session is identical, choose one day and time that works best for you.
To attend the 9:00 am – 10:00 am session on December 2, 7, 9, 14, 16 or 21:
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Join on your computer or mobile app
To attend the 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm session on December 2, 7, 9, 14, 16 or 21:
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Join on your computer or mobile app
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Or call in (audio only)
Please feel free to invite any hospital staff who help with collecting the Parent Worksheet data to these trainings.
If you have any questions about the upcoming REALD changes or training, contact the Vital Records Trainer at Kathy.Ellis@dhsoha.state.or.us.
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Domicile Unknown
The passing of Senate Bill 850 will establish mandatory reporting of housing status on reports of death. On January 1, 2022, there will be a statewide requirement that data is collected on homeless individuals who have died.
Beginning January 1, 2022, death records for individuals who were homeless at the time of death must list “Domicile Unknown” in the Street Name field on the Resident Address page in OVERS. This includes decedents who were homeless but receiving care at a hospital or other institution.
Below is a visual of where “Domicile Unknown” should be listed in OVERS for decedents who were homeless at the time of death.
The funeral service practitioner who first assumes custody of the decedent (or medical examiner in cases where there is no funeral service practitioner) is responsible for listing “Domicile Unknown” in the “Street Name, Rural Route, etc.” field for individuals who were homeless at the time of the death.
Other fields on the Resident Address page should be filled out to the best of the user or informant’s knowledge. “Unknown” can be entered in the Street Number, City or Town, and Inside City Limits fields. “Unknown” cannot be entered in the County, State, Country, or Zip Code fields. Do NOT enter “Unknown,” “Homeless,” “Houseless,” or “None” in the “Street Name, Rural Route, etc.” field for homeless decedents. Do NOT enter approximate locations of where a person was camping like “the corner of Halsey and 72nd Streets.” Only enter “Domicile Unknown.”
For questions about registering death records for homeless decedents, email CHS.Registration@dhsoha.state.or.us.
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Vital Records Email Contact Correction
In last month’s newsletter, we provided the incorrect email for our Certification team. For questions regarding ordering or voiding intaglio paper, please email: CHS.VitalRecords@dhsoha.state.or.us.
Verifications
Under ORS 432.380 (12) verifications of facts in a certified copy may be furnished by the state registrar to a government agency in the conduct of its official duties. This means that verifications should be completed by the Center for Health Statistics, not the County Vital Records offices. Most verifications are for records of an event older than six months and can only be done by the state vital records office. Effective January 1, 2022, the County Vital Records Office should no longer complete verifications for government agencies.
All requests for verifications must go through the Center for Health Statistics (State Vital Records Office). Each government agency is entitled to five (5) free verifications per month. For every additional request beyond the first five, a verification fee of $10 will be charged [OAR 333-011-0340 (18)]. Government agencies requiring a verification should email Oregon Vital Records at CHS.VitalRecords@dhsoha.state.or.us to request a verification.
How to Obtain an Authentication (Apostille) from the Secretary of State
The Center for Health Statistics and County Vital Record offices often receive calls from customers about how they can obtain an Authentication, also known as an apostille.
The Oregon Secretary of State office issues apostilles, which are required by many countries, to prove the validity of an Oregon birth, death, marriage or divorce record. Customers will first need a certified copy of the vital event which can be obtained from the state vital records office. Customers can also order a birth and death certificate from the county in which the event occurred up to six months from the event date.
The certificate must be printed on intaglio paper with the State Registrar’s signature printed on it.
Once customers have their vital record certificate, they can place an order for an apostille to verify that it is legitimate and authentic. Please instruct customers to visit the Secretary of State’s website. The website has information about how to place an order as well as payment and delivery options to receive an apostille.
Registrar and Deputy Registrar Commissions
Commission Renewals for County Registrars and Deputy County Registrars were emailed out on November 2, 2021, and are being processed. Remember that all County Registrar and Deputy County Registrar Vital Records commissions will expire December 31, 2021. Registrars and Deputies who have not sent in their forms will no longer be authorized to register records or issue certified copies of certificates after January 1, 2022, and their access to OVERS will be terminated.
If you have not submitted your completed and signed commission forms, please do so as soon as possible. The commission form can be found here.
Each County Registrar and Deputy County Registrar must complete and sign a commission form. We need a separate form for each County Registrar and Deputy County Registrar. The County Registrar must approve each Deputy in their county. Completed forms may be submitted in the following ways:
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Fax:
(971) 673-1202
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Mail:
Center for Health Statistics
Attention: Dani Hall
P.O. Box 14050
Portland, OR 97293-0050
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Scan and Email as an Attachment:
Dancia.O.Hall@dhsoha.state.or.us
When your Commission Renewal form has been processed and approved, a new commission certificate and a copy of the approved form will be sent to your office by December 31, 2021. If you have any questions regarding the Commission Renewal process, please contact Dani Hall at Dancia.O.Hall@dhsoha.state.or.us or (971) 673-1355.
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Welcome, Selina RedBird
The Center for Health Statistics is happy to welcome Selina RedBird to the Registration team for Oregon Vital Records. Selena will be filling requests from partners for forms, brochures and tags and will be doing follow ups with monthly death reports.
Selina has lived in Oregon most of her life. She attended PSU and the University of Poitiers in France. Her background is in administrative work and management. She likes pets and plants and looks forward to working with Vital Records.
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Welcome, MacKenzie Hogan Hays
CHS is excited to welcome MacKenzie Hogan Hays to Oregon Vital Records as the Administrative Specialist on the Partner Services team. Some of her responsibilities include providing administrative support to the team, writing newsletter articles and assisting with the scheduling and logistics of triennial reviews.
MacKenzie is originally from Montana but loves living in Oregon. She is a Portland State School of Business graduate with a focus in Advertising Management. In her free time, she likes cooking, paddle boarding and hanging out with her cat, Coal, that she adopted last January.
MacKenzie is excited to begin her new career with the Center for Health Statistics. Please join us in extending her a warm welcome!
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Welcome Krista Harper
Please join us in welcoming Krista Harper to the OVERS team. Krista’s responsibilities include coordinating and tracking data access agreements, technology contracts, system defects and system release testing. She will also be providing backup support for the OVERS Help Desk.
Krista was born and raised in the Midwest but considers Oregon her home. She comes from a background in non-profit work including two years of volunteer service in West Africa, which helped cultivate an interest to pursue work in public health. She is excited to join the CHS OVERS team. Krista enjoys hiking, biking, and camping with her husband; tending to their houseplants; and baking.
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Farewell, Ryan Sanders
Our Amendments Manager, Ryan Sanders, left CHS on October 15 to work with the Department of Human Services, Child Welfare division. County staff will be notified once his replacement has been hired. Please send questions about amending vital records to CHS.Amendments@state.or.us.
During his four years at CHS, Ryan not only managed the Amendments team, he also initiated many process improvements for his team and CHS as a whole.
Ryan will miss working for Oregon Vital Records. He states, “It has been an honor to work with the Amendments team and partner with you to serve Oregonians. Thank you for your dedication to public service and I hope to work with you again in the future.”
We thank Ryan for his work and service to CHS, OHA and Oregon. We wish him well in his new position!
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VitalChek Orders Hotline:
(888) 896-4988
VitalChek Order Online: www.vitalchek.com
General Information: (971) 673-1190
FAX: (971) 673-1201
TTY: 711
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