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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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Updates to the Birth Parent Worksheet
Getting accurate data when entering vital events is crucial to meet federal and state reporting needs and to better understand the different populations we work with and serve. Since implementing Race, Ethnicity, Language and Disability (REALD) data collection, we have noticed that parents are answering some of the Race or Ethnicity questions while leaving other questions blank. Unrelated to REALD, we have received feedback from our BIS partners that the questions regarding the Legal Relationship of Parents can often be confusing.
To help gather more complete and correct data, we have made a few updates to the Birth Parent Worksheet:
- The Race or Ethnicity questions for both the Mother and the Father/Second Parent have been separated into Part A and Part B to highlight the two different questions: The text field and the checkboxes. The directions “Complete both Part A and Part B” were also added at the beginning of this section. It is important for Birth Information Specialists and nurses/hospital staff to communicate with parents that both parts in this section, the text field and the checkboxes, should be completed. Also, parents should write in a tribe name if they checked a box in the American Indian and Native Alaska section of Part B.
- The Legal Relationship of Parents section has been modified to make it easier for parents to understand the marital status question. The format of the question has changed slightly and each choice has more detail about that option. The updated question also more closely mirrors how it will be entered into OVERS.
 Please begin using the updated worksheets with a revision date of 7/22 as soon as possible. We encourage you to recycle the older version. The updated worksheets can be found on our website at the links below.
Link to English Version
Link to Spanish Version
Thank you for all your hard work in gathering and entering birth data into OVERS.
If you have any questions about the updates to the Birth Parent Worksheet, contact the Partner Services Unit at CHS.PartnerServices@dhsoha.state.or.us.
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 The top five names for baby girls and boys born in Oregon for 2021 are listed below. We’ve included the top five names reported nationally last year as well.
 Are you curious which names have been popular in the past? Oregon Vital Records tracks names given to babies born in Oregon from 1920 - present and displays them in the interactive Baby Names Data Dashboard. Whether your family is expecting a baby, or you are curious about your own name, this is a great resource to analyze the data of past baby names in Oregon. The data dashboard even has the capability to track and compare the popularity of certain names over time.
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Veterans’ Copies
State and county vital records offices can provide up to two certified copies of vital records (usually death certificates) without charge to state or national Veterans’ Service Offices (VSO) or the United States Department of Veterans’ Affairs (USDVA) in support of pending applications for veterans’ benefits [ORS 432.435(2)(a)].
As a reminder, veterans’ copies can only be sent directly to a VSO or the USDVA. They cannot be sent or given to funeral home staff, family members, or the veteran on the record (if still living).
When ordering a veteran’s copy record, make sure to indicate how many copies you want (up to two TOTAL), provide or select the Veteran’s Service Office to which the certificate(s) will be mailed, and indicate the reason for needing the record as “Veteran’s Death Benefits.”
 If you have questions about ordering veterans’ copies, please contact the Certification Unit at CHS.VitalRecords@dhsoha.state.or.us.
Disposition Permits to the Counties
As a reminder, a Final Disposition Authorization Permit needs to be sent to the county office where the death took place for every decedent. The Center for Health Statistics has seen an increase in disposition permits being mailed to our office instead of the appropriate county. This creates a back log for the counties and requires them to contact the funeral home for follow up on these disposition permits.
Here is an updated list of county offices to where you will mail these disposition permits. The disposition permits do not get mailed to the state.
If you have questions, please contact the Registration Unit at CHS.Registration@dhsoha.state.or.us.
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Veterans’ Copies
State and county vital records offices can provide up to two certified copies of vital records (usually death certificates) without charge to state or national Veterans’ Service Offices (VSO) or the United States Department of Veterans’ Affairs (USDVA) in support of pending applications for veterans’ benefits [ORS 432.435(2)(a)].
Veterans’ certified copies can only be sent directly to a VSO or the USDVA. They cannot be sent or given to funeral home staff, family members, or the veteran on the record (if still living). If an address for a VSO or the USDVA is not provided on the application for the death record, do not process the request without first getting a correct address.
If the applicant has chosen to send the veteran’s copy to the USDVA in Portland, pre-paid stamped envelopes (titled: County VR offices-to: Portland VA) have been provided to you by the state vital records office. To order more, submit the Request for Vital Records Forms and Tags (OHA 45-43) form.
If you have questions about ordering veterans’ copies, please contact the Certification Unit at CHS.VitalRecords@dhsoha.state.or.us.
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Welcome, Devon Scarfe and Sonny Nelson!
We are pleased to welcome two new members of the Certification Unit at the Center for Health Statistics. Devon Scarfe and Sonny Nelson are serving as Public Service Representatives at the Oregon Vital Records customer counter at the Portland State Office Building.
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Devon has extensive experience serving in the US Navy and US Marines. Devon has also worked as a researcher with Oregon Health & Sciences University (OHSU) conducting opioid use dependency and treatment research. He is less than a year from obtaining his Master’s in Public Health from OHSU.
In Devon’s spare time he enjoys playing Dungeons & Dragons and video games and hiking with his standard poodle, Cricket.
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Sonny has experience serving as a funeral director and other roles in the funeral services industry.
When not working, Sonny and his partner spend time with their dog, six cats and flock of chickens. In their free time, they enjoy gardening, tabletop and video games, as well as relaxing on the porch after a long day.
Sonny is looking forward to being an active part of the vital records community promoting service and inclusivity.
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Please join us in welcoming Devon and Sonny to CHS!
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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 Unit
Certification Unit
Partner Services Unit
Registration Unit
Statistics Unit |
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