Legislative Update
During the 2023 Legislative Session for Oregon, four bills related to vital records were passed: House Bill 2032 and Senate Bill 573 (both laws go into effect January 1, 2024) and House Bills 2279 and 2420 (both going into effect immediately). [See the July Matters of Record for a summary of each bill.]
HB 2032: The passage of House Bill 2032 expands eligibility for Oregon Registered Domestic Partnerships (ORDPs) to partners of any sex. Previously, ORDPs had only been available to same sex couples.
Will any worksheets or forms need be updated to reflect this change to ORDPs?
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Birth Parent Worksheet (OHA 9704):
- There will be a small change in the Legal Relationship of Parents section of the worksheet.
- Updated worksheets must be used beginning January 1, 2024. We will be communicating with Birth Information Specialists over the next few months with more information about the updated worksheet.
Declaration of Oregon Registered Domestic Partnership Form (45-6):
- There will be no changes to this form as it was already formatted to be gender neutral.
- Non-same-sex couples may submit their completed Declaration of Oregon Registered Domestic Partnership Form to county clerk offices beginning January 1, 2024.
- If a customer asks for a form, they can get one from the Oregon Vital Records website or request a paper copy from Oregon Vital Records or their local county clerk’s office.
HB 2420: House Bill 2420 sets up a work group comprised of county vital records offices, funeral directors, other partners and community members to propose options for equitable access to birth and death certificates throughout the state and equitable fee revenue to maintain and improve the state and county vital records system. The proposal will be delivered no later than January 1, 2025.
The members of the work group have been selected and a facilitator is being assigned.
For questions about the implementation of vital records legislation, please contact CHS.PartnerServices@oha.oregon.gov.
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Enter Information Exactly as Written on Birth Parent Worksheet
Since implementing Race, Ethnicity, Language and Disability (REALD) data collection, we have had several questions about what some parents are writing in the Race or Ethnicity text box on the Birth Parent Worksheet.
 Sometimes parents may provide information that could be considered unrelated or offensive. Birth Information Specialists (BIS) may be wondering what to enter into OVERS if they see these types of answers in this field.
Self-reporting is a core principle of REALD, and it is important to give parents the opportunity to answer this question as they see fit. We cannot make assumptions about how a person identifies, provide answers if the field is blank or change what a parent wrote in this field or any other text boxes. BIS should enter exactly what the parents wrote on the worksheet into OVERS.
If you have any questions about completing the Birth Parent Worksheet, please contact CHS.Registration@oha.oregon.gov.
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Abandoning a Death Record
If a duplicate death record has been created in error, the incorrect or duplicate record needs to be abandoned. Duplicate records can cause confusion for medical certifiers trying to certify electronically, resulting in delayed registration.
To have an incorrect or duplicate record abandoned, please call the OVERS Help Desk. You will need to provide both Case ID numbers - the one you want to keep and the one needing to be abandoned. You will be asked for the reason you are requesting abandonment. Providing both Case IDs ensures that a record that has already been medically certified does not get abandoned in error.
Do not use the Relinquish Case option if a record was entered in error. Relinquishing a case is only used when the current funeral home staff are relinquishing ownership of the record so that a different funeral home can finish the death record. Relinquished cases that are not picked up by another funeral home may result in a call to your office by the Center for Health Statistics.
If you have any questions about abandoning or relinquishing a record, call the OVERS Help Desk at 971-673-0279.
Domicile Unknown: How to Correctly Complete Resident Address Fields
On the Resident Address page in OVERS, the 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. However, if the user or informant knows the city where the decedent generally spent most of their time, they should enter it.
“Unknown” cannot be entered in the County, State, Country, or Zip Code fields. PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE THESE FIELDS BLANK. If the Zip Code is truly unknown, enter “99999.”
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 decedents who were homeless at the time of death, email CHS.Registration@oha.oregon.gov. You may also visit the Senate Bill 850 web page for the most recent job aid for funeral directors regarding domicile unknown.
Intaglio Paper Update
The Center for Health Statistics (CHS) is excited to share that a vendor contract to supply Intaglio security paper for the state of Oregon has been secured.
Counties received a listserv on September 25, 2023, with instructions on how to place an order with the vendor for their supply needs through July 31, 2024. They also have the option to place a special order directly from the state’s reserve supply to cover any security paper needs for the months of November and December while they wait for their initial paper order to arrive from the vendor.
Counties may contact CHS.PartnerServices@oha.oregon.gov with any questions about their Intaglio paper orders. Please include “Security Paper” in your subject line.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation throughout this process.
Notarized Permission to Order or Pick up a Certificate Form
The Center for Health Statistics (CHS) has a new form called the Notarized Permission to Order or Pick up a Vital Record Certificate that allows someone who is eligible for a vital record certificate to grant permission to order or pick up a certificate to someone who is not eligible. The form must be notarized and can be used once within a year of being signed. All regular requirements for ordering vital records still apply. In some cases, additional documents may be needed to show that the person who granted permission is eligible for the record.
This new form has been added to the Oregon Vital Records Eligibility page and is accessible in both English and Spanish.
Please contact CHS.PartnerServices@oha.oregon.gov with any questions.
Registrar and Deputy Registrar Commission Renewals
Vital Records Commissions Renewals for County Registrar and Deputy County Registrar forms will be emailed on November 1, 2023. The commission form can also be found here. Remember that all County Registrar and Deputy County Registrar vital records commissions will expire at 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2023. Registrars and deputies who do not send in their forms will no longer be authorized to register records or issue certified copies of records starting January 1, 2024, and will no longer have access to OVERS.
When you receive your commission renewal email, please complete the forms and sign them as soon as possible.
We will need to receive a separate form from the County Registrar and each Deputy County Registrar. The County Registrar must sign each Deputy County Registrar’s form. Completed forms may be submitted in the following ways:
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Fax:
Attention: Partner Services
971-673-1202
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Mail:
Center for Health Statistics
Attention: Partner Services
PO Box 14050
Portland, OR 97293-0050
When your commission renewal form has been through the review process and approved by the State Registrar, a new commission certificate and a copy of the approved form will be sent to your office by December 31, 2023. If you have any questions regarding the commission renewal process, please contact CHS.PartnerServices@oha.oregon.gov.
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.
County Work Group
October 31, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Register here!
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