Using Special Characters in OVERS
Every effort should be made to enter names exactly as parents list them on the parent worksheet. This includes accents. OVERS will allow you to enter and search for names that contain the most common international accented letters of the alphabet.
These special characters can be typed by holding down the Alt key while also typing the 4-digit number code corresponding with the character. This must be done on the numeric keypad for the codes to work.
For example, if you want to type the name Nuñez, you first type the letters N and u. To type the ñ, you would hold down the Alt key while typing the numbers 0241. Once you have typed the special character, you can complete the name by typing as usual.
The table below contains a list of the special characters approved to use in OVERS with their corresponding keyboard codes to be used on the numeric keypad. Hyphens, apostrophes and other punctuation marks should not be substituted for an accent to a letter. In rare cases, parents may want a special character in a child’s name that is not in the approved list of characters. OVERS may allow the character, however Social Security does not. If a special character that is not listed below is entered in OVERS, the parents will need to visit their local Social Security office to get a Social Security card for their child.
Visit our website for a printout of this table.
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For those who don’t have a numeric keypad, a special character can be added to a blank Word document and then copied into OVERS. To insert a special character in a Word document, open Word and click on the Insert Tab and then click on Symbol and More Symbols.
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Select ASCII (decimal) in the from drop-down on the Symbols tab. Type the code from the above chart in the Character code box and click Insert. This will place the special character in the document. Copy the special character from the Word document and add it to the appropriate field in OVERS.
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Please email CHS.PartnerServices@oha.oregon.gov if you have any questions about using special characters.
Parent Worksheet Checklist for Nursing Staff
Answering every question on the Birth Parent Worksheet is important to ensure that the Center for Health Statistics has complete and accurate information for a legal birth record and the data used to identify public health problems, fund public health programs, and inform public policy to improve the health of parents and children throughout the state.
Not all Birth Information Specialists work directly with the parents to communicate the importance of answering every question on the Birth Parent Worksheet.
To help Labor and Delivery staff we have created a handout of the most common items that are not completed on the worksheet with visuals to help them know where they should quickly scan for each item. Page two of the handout also includes items that are frequently left blank on the Facility Worksheet.
Please provide this handout to anyone at your facility who helps parents with the worksheet or enters information from the Facility Worksheet.
The handout can be found here.
If you have any questions about the handout or completing the Birth Parent Worksheet email CHS.PartnerServices@oha.oregon.gov.
Decedent First Name Shift
In the OVERS 22.2 Release that occured on January 23, 2023, there was an update made to the Certificate of Death.
To prevent the significant font size reduction for long first names, the decedent’s First name field has been shifted to the left, and now begins under the title Legal Name on the Certificate of Death.
Please see the County section below for an article with more information about this update.
List of Counties Keeping ID on File
The following information was shared in the ID Requirement for Ordering Certified Copies of Vital Records Memos to Counties and Funeral Home Representatives dated December 7, 2022:
A county vital records office may choose to offer to keep copies of funeral home representative and courier IDs on file (paper or electronic) rather than requiring presentation or copy of ID. The decision is made by each County Registrar and must be applied uniformly to all staff and funeral directors. If a county vital records office offers this service, they must store IDs in a secure manner and update their file quarterly by checking that IDs are not expired and verifying with a funeral home that their employee list is current.
The following list indicates whether a county will be keeping IDs on file:
Counties may have different systems of how they will keep IDs on file, and some are still finalizing their processes. If a funeral home director or representative wants to keep their ID on file with counties who offer this option, it is the director’s or representative’s responsibility to make sure their ID is on file with each county with whom they work.
If you frequently work with a county who is offering this option and want to have your ID on file with them, contact them. Otherwise, remember to include your ID with each order you submit.
For more information about required ID and procedures to order certificates, visit our website.
Contact CHS.PartnerServices@oha.oregon.gov if you have any additional questions about ID requirement.
Changing the Informant
When a funeral director takes custody of a decedent and prepares to file a report of death, they must obtain the personal data from the next of kin or the best qualified source available, as directed in ORS 432.133(2)(b). This person who supplies the personal information used to create the death record is listed on the record as the Informant.
The best qualified source available for the decedent’s data is usually the next of kin or a close family member, but in rare cases when closer relations cannot be located it may be someone such as a police officer, nurse or medical records technician who supplies this information.
Once the death record is registered, the Informant cannot be changed from one person to another. Doing so would misrepresent the source of the original data. Also, as the source of the original information, the Informant has special responsibilities related to requests to change marital status or spouse name on a record.
After the record is registered, if you are requested to change the Informant due to the preference of the family or because a closer next of kin has been located, please do not attempt to change the Informant to another person.
Please contact CHS.Amendments@oha.oregon.gov if you have a question about a specific situation or if the family needs to be redirected to the state for confirmation of the policy.
Updated Order Form for Death Certificates
The Funeral Home Order Form for Death Certificates was recently updated to include a space to indicate the Funeral Home on Record. (In the previous version, if the certificate was being sent to a family member, the name of the funeral home did not appear on the form.) The form also includes a space to indicate who will be picking up the certificate(s) if that person is different than the person submitting the form.
Please make sure you use this version of the order form (dated 12/2022) and replace any older copies you may have printed or saved.
Contact CHS.PartnerServices@oha.oregon.gov with any questions you may have about the form.
When You Receive a Subpoena
Occasionally county vital records offices may receive a subpoena for vital records certificates. When this happens, please forward these requests to the State Registrar, Jennifer Woodward.
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Decedent First Name Shift
In the OVERS 22.2 Release that occured on January 23, 2023, there was an update made to the Certificate of Death.
To prevent the significant font size reduction for long first names, the decedent’s First name field has been shifted to the left, and now begins under the title Legal Name on the Certificate of Death.
This is an example of the ORIGINAL Certificate of Death and how a long first name of a decedent looked:
 These are examples (with a long and short first name) of the UPDATED Certificate of Death with the shifted First name field:
  While this update makes it easier to read the names of longer or multiple first names, at first glance the First name field may appear blank for decedents who have shorter first names. Make sure you look all the way to the left under Legal Name for the first name of the decedent.
This update affects the following print products for the following user groups:
- Counties
- Death certified copy short
- Death certified copy long
- Working copy
- Funeral Directors
- Drop to paper
- Working copy
If you have questions regarding this update, please contact the OVERS Help Desk at 971-673-0279.
The County Work Group
The County Work Group is an optional meeting for County Vital Records Staff to learn about current vital records topics, ask questions and share ideas with each other.
Register here for the County Work Group
February 21, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
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