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Welcome!
Welcome to the monthly newsletter for the Center for Health Statistics (CHS), Vital Records office. Here you will find information that is important for you and your facility like OVERS changes, updates to Oregon laws, statistics, available reports and process reminders. In the table of contents on the left, choose a category to jump to a news article of interest.
CHS encourages everyone to read through other sections; something may pertain to you and your facility.
We would love to hear from you regarding future newsletter topics.
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Intaglio Paper Update
Earlier in May, we briefly experienced a shortage of intaglio paper. State and county vital record offices currently have an ample stock of intaglio paper to produce certified copies of vital records. We apologize for any inconvenience that may have occurred.
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New Method to Sign or Certify Records in OVERS Begins June 12
Starting June 12, users who sign or certify birth, death or fetal death records will follow a new procedure to sign or certify records in OVERS.
- A biometric device, authenticator app or signature pad will no longer be needed to sign or certify a record.
- New Affirmation Statements will be added to the Sign/Certify Page and the Amendment Affirmation Page.
- Users signing or certifying a record will be required to affirm under the penalty of perjury that they are the authorized signer/certifier for the record.
- Read the affirmation statements, place a checkmark in the checkboxes, and click Affirm to sign or certify the record or the amendment.
- The biometric devices, authenticator app and signature pad will be disabled on June 12.
- The biometric devices were provided to you by the Center for Health Statistics. After June 12, please dispose of your biometric device(s) following your facility’s procedure for disposing of computers and other technical equipment.
- No information is stored on these devices.
- After June 12, Internet Explorer (IE) should no longer be used. Any other browser may be used such as Chrome, Firefox, Edge or Safari.
If you have any questions about these changes, contact Partner Services at CHS.PartnerServices@dhsoha.state.or.us. You may also contact the OVERS Help Desk for technical support at 971-673-0279.
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End of 60-Day Extension for Notarized Paternity Affidavit
In 2020 the Center for Health Statistics extended the time period allowed to receive the Acknowledgment of Paternity Affidavit (form 45-21) without a $35 amendment fee to 60 days. That extension will end for births that occur on or after July 1, 2022. The previous timeline of 14 days will go into effect on July 1.
If the Affidavit is postmarked within 14 days from the child's date of birth, no fee is required. If the Affidavit is not postmarked within 14 days from the child's date of birth, CHS must register the birth record without the father's name. If the birth record is registered without the father's name, the registered birth certificate can be amended to add the father's name once the Affidavit is received, but a $35 fee is required to amend the record. This fee does not include a certified copy of the amended record. Parents will need to purchase a copy of an updated certificate if they wish to have one that reflects the father's name on the record.
Please make sure the staff at your facility are aware of this change so they can communicate the importance of this 14-day deadline with parents.
For questions about the end of the 60-day extension or about Acknowledgments of Paternity, contact the Amendments Unit at CHS.Amendments@dhsoha.state.or.us.
Importance of Entering WIC Information into OVERS
Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is a public health nutrition program that started in 1974 which aims to safeguard the health of low-income women, infants and children up to age 5 by providing nutritious foods to supplement their diet. It also helps families improve their health outcomes through nutrition education, breastfeeding promotion and support, increased access to healthy foods, and referral services. In 2021, 27 percent of pregnant women in Oregon were served by WIC and 3 out of 4 of those participating in WIC were children. As a healthcare professional, you have unique access to families that may benefit from WIC.
In order to support the WIC program, it is very important for Birth Information Specialists to ask parents if they are receiving WIC if that field is left blank on the parent worksheet. Providing this information helps public health programs understand how WIC is being utilized and which groups need additional outreach. The information is used for analysis by partners within public health and at the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
NCHS requires that questions about WIC on the birth record be “Unknown” for less than 2.09% of records. It is essential to not exceed this level. NCHS provides CHS with a monthly report and requires facilities to go back and amend records when the tolerance level has been exceeded. You can monitor your level of “Unknowns” for WIC as well as for other fields on the birth record in the monthly Birth Facility Performance Report.
Example of Unknowns on the Birth Facility Performance Report
For additional information about the WIC program, please see the 2021 Oregon WIC Program Data Sheet or visit their website. Email CHS.Registration@dhsoha.state.or.us if you have questions about entering WIC information into OVERS.
New Disposition Types for Fetal Death
Birth Information Specialists that enter Fetal Death records will soon see some changes to the Method of disposition drop-down on the Fetus page in OVERS.
Oregon House Bill 2574 was introduced and passed during the 2021 legislative session. This bill added Natural Organic Reduction as a new disposition type and clarified other authorized processes for human remains. The bill goes into effect on July 1, 2022.
Natural organic reduction (human composting): the contained, accelerated conversion of human remains to soil.
Alkaline hydrolysis (formerly known as dissolution): the technical process for reducing human remains by placing them in a dissolution chamber that uses heat, pressure, water and base chemical agents, in a licensed hydrolysis facility to reduce human remains to bone fragments and essential elements.
On July 1, the drop-down menu for the Method of disposition will have the following changes:
- Dissolution will be renamed Alkaline Hydrolysis
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Natural Organic Reduction will be added to the list
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If the remains are removed from Oregon to a facility in another state that performs natural organic reduction (or another type of disposition), Removal From State should be selected as the Method of disposition in OVERS.
If you have questions about these new disposition types, please contact the following CHS departments:
- For questions regarding technical changes to the OVERS system, call the OVERS Help Desk at 971-673-0279.
- For questions about the registration of a specific record, contact CHS.Registration@dhsoha.state.or.us.
- For questions about amending a record with a new disposition type, contact the Amendments Unit at CHS.Amendments@dhsoha.state.or.us.
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Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) Administrative Rulemaking Public Hearing
- There will be a public hearing for administrative rulemaking relating to Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) on June 15, 2022 - a draft of the rules can be found here.
- Public testimony may be presented virtually from 1PM to 2PM (if possible, please submit your testimony prior to testifying) and written testimony may be submitted via first class mail or email but must be received by 5pm on June 15, 2022.
- Please submit all written testimony via email to Pete.Burns@omcb.oregon.gov.
- Please mail all written testimony to the OMCB office:
- Pete Burns, OMCB Administrative Rules Coordinator, 800 NE Oregon Street, Suite 430, Portland, OR 97232
- If you have questions, comments, or would like to testify during the public hearing, please contact Pete Burns, Education and Compliance Program Manager at (971) 673-1503 or Pete.Burns@omcb.oregon.gov.
New Dispositions Go into Effect July 1
Oregon House Bill 2574 added a new disposition type and clarified other authorized processes for human remains. The bill goes into effect on July 1, 2022. The new disposition types will be available for decedents whose dispositions occur on or after July 1.
Natural organic reduction (human composting): the contained, accelerated conversion of human remains to soil.
Alkaline hydrolysis (formerly known as dissolution): the technical process for reducing human remains by placing them in a dissolution chamber that uses heat, pressure, water and base chemical agents, in a licensed hydrolysis facility to reduce human remains to bone fragments and essential elements.
On June 21, the Disposition section of OVERS will be updated. The drop-down menu for the Method of Disposition will have the following changes:
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Dissolution will be renamed Alkaline Hydrolysis
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Natural Organic Reduction will be added to the list
While the natural organic reduction disposition selection will be available for decedents who have a date of death of June 21 or later, it can only be selected for decedents with a disposition date of July 1 or later, as this is when HB 2574 goes into effect.
If Natural Organic Reduction is selected for a date of disposition that occurs before July 1, OVERS will trigger a (red) edit. To fix this edit, please either choose a different Method of Disposition or change the Date of Disposition to on or after 07/01/2022.
If the remains are removed from Oregon to a facility in another state that performs natural organic reduction (or another type of disposition), Removal from State should be selected as the Method of disposition in OVERS.
If you have questions about these new disposition types, please contact the following CHS departments:
- For questions regarding technical changes to the OVERS system, call the OVERS Helpdesk at 971-673-0279.
- For questions about the registration of a specific record, contact CHS.Registration@dhsoha.state.or.us.
- For questions about amending a record with a new disposition type, contact the Amendments Unit at CHS.Amendments@dhsoha.state.or.us.
Updated Funeral Home Order Form for Death Certificates
The Funeral Home Order Form for Death Certificates has been recently updated. This form is primarily used by funeral homes who are ordering death certificates from the state, but some counties may also be using it, so we wanted to make you are aware of the changes. They include adding a check box to indicate replacement copies, adding contact information, updating county addresses, adding a way to sign the form electronically, and expanding on ways to submit the form.
Some additional changes were made to clarify important processes for ordering death certificates:
- Updated the verbiage from “Funeral Home Director” to “Funeral Home Staff.” An employee of a funeral home may complete the form. It is not limited to just the Funeral director.
- Added clarification that a photocopy or scan of a picture ID is required for every order.
- Added a line to enter the name of a funeral home staff member or courier service who will be picking up the certificates in person.
- Whoever picks up certificates at the State Vital Records or County Vital Records must be able to show what organization they are with and provide their ID.
The updated form is available on our website. Please delete/recycle any old versions of the form you may have and replace them with the new version.
Helpful Hint: To save time, create a copy of the form for each employee of your funeral home that includes the address of the funeral home, contact information of the employee, and a second page with the photo ID of the employee. The staff member who is ordering will just need to choose the version of the form with their contact information, enter the information for the decedent, and sign and date the document. Contact the Partner Services Team at CHS.PartnerServices@dhsoha.state.or.us for more information on this process.
If you have any questions about using this form, please contact the CHS Certification Unit at CHS.VitalRecords@dhsoha.state.or.us.
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Biometric Devices Are No Longer Necessary
Starting June 12, the authenticator app, biometric device and signature pad are no longer necessary to sign or certify a record in OVERS. Instead, users will accept a new acknowledgment when logging into OVERS that emphasizes the importance of never sharing their OVERS login. Language has been enhanced in the affirmation statements requiring signers and certifiers to affirm that they are the authorized person whose name will appear on the certificate.
After June 12, counties will no longer have to assist with the ID verification and fingerprint enrollment process for new OVERS users. If you have any biometric devices at your location, please dispose of them following your facility’s procedure for disposing of computers and other technical equipment. No information is stored on these devices.
Thank you for helping the Center for Health Statistics enroll users over the years. We are excited for this streamlined process.
Contact the OVERS Help Desk at (971) 673-0279 with any questions about this process.
Updated Funeral Home Order Form for Death Certificates
The Funeral Home Order Form for Death Certificates has been recently updated. This form is primarily used by funeral homes who are ordering death certificates from the state, but some counties may also be using it, so we wanted to make you are aware of the changes. They include adding a check box to indicate replacement copies, adding contact information, updating county addresses, adding a way to sign the form electronically, and expanding on ways to submit the form.
Some additional changes were made to clarify important processes for ordering death certificates:
- Updated the verbiage from “Funeral Home Director” to “Funeral Home Staff.” An employee of a funeral home may complete the form. It is not limited to just the Funeral director.
- Added clarification that a photocopy or scan of a picture ID is required for every order, even if the applicant is a funeral director or funeral home staff.
- Added a line to enter the name of a funeral home staff member or courier service who will be picking up the certificates in person.
- Whoever picks up certificates at the State Vital Records or County Vital Records must be able to show what organization they are with and provide their ID.
- The ID should be retained with the order with the same guidelines your county uses to retain the applicant ID. Options include:
- Photocopy/scan and attached to the order
- Barcode scan (the back of the driver’s license) into the OVERS order comment
- Key/type in the driver’s license number and state in the OVERS order comment
The updated form is available on our website. Please delete/recycle any old versions of the form you may have and replace them with the new version.
The above processes for ID are required for ordering vital records whether funeral homes are using the State’s form or a form your county has created.
If you are using your own version of a Funeral Home Order for Certified Copies of Death Record for your county, please email the State Vital Records County Liaison, Derrick Patterson, at Derrick.C.Patterson@dhsoha.state.or.us. He can connect with you on making sure your form is up-to-date or walk you through the process of getting a new version approved.
If you have any questions about the State’s form, please contact the CHS Certification Unit at CHS.VitalRecords@dhsoha.state.or.us.
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For various reports on birth and death that can be broken down by factors like county, age, cause of death, etc., visit our Annual Reports Dashboard.
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Amendments Certification Partner Services Registration Statistics |
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