AUGUST/SEPTEMBER  2016 EDITION
FROM THE DIRECTOR'S DESK

You asked and we’re answering, straight from the director’s desk!

Q. Why must the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of a minor also sign the new Paternity Acknowledgement form (PA)?

A. The rationale for requiring parental consent on the new PA form is found in various sections of the Georgia Code, several of which are noted below.

  1. The “age of majority” in Georgia is eighteen.  Code Section 39-1-1. 

  2. Contracts signed by a minor are voidable at the minor’s election, but not void.  Code Sections 13-3-20, 13-5-3, 44-5-41. 

Moreover, a minor’s signature on a PA is not only susceptible to legal challenge but also means that he or she is assuming enormous legal responsibilities. There are plenty of other statutes in the Code that require parental consent with regard to minors. As a practical matter, what we gain from the parental co-signature is that it makes it harder for the minor (or anyone else) to argue that the minor didn’t know what they were signing. Though requiring parental consent on the new form is a matter of practice and procedure, not a matter of law or regulation, it is in the best interest of Vital Records and our customers that we do so.

CONSTITUENTS' CORNER

In compliance with the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the State Office and the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS), caseworkers requesting birth certificates either by mail and/or front lobby must make the request on DFCS letterhead and provide an original custody order or a certified copy of the original custody order.  In order to remain in compliance with determining the tangible interest or showing that the registrant is in fact in the agency’s custody and to protect the integrity in the service that we provide, we do not honor birth requests without the original custody order or its equivalent, and agent identification. Under the terms of the interagency MOU, issuance of such certificates at the State Office is a no fee transaction. Birth certificates will be provided within five business days of receipt of the request. Local Vital Records Offices are authorized to fulfill DFCS requests; however, such requests are outside the MOU and are subject to the applicable fees and processing times of the local office. 

Any case worker requesting birth certificates must comply with O.C.G.A. 31.10.26 issuance of certified copies and DPH Regulations 511.1-3.33 disclosure of records as provided below.

(a) In accordance with Code Section 31-10-25 and the regulations adopted pursuant thereto:

(1) The state registrar or local custodian of vital records appointed by the state registrar to issue certified copies upon receipt of a written application shall issue a certified copy of a vital record in that registrar's or custodian's custody or abstract thereof to any applicant having a direct and tangible interest in the vital record, except that certified copies of certificates shall only be issued to:

(A) The person whose record of birth is registered;

(B) Either parent, guardian, or temporary guardian of the person whose record of birth or death is registered;

(C) The living legal spouse or next of kin or the legal representative or the person who in good faith has applied and produced a record of such application to become the legal representative of the person whose record of birth or death is registered;   (D) The court of competent jurisdiction upon its order or subpoena; or

(E) Any governmental agency, state or federal, provided that such certificate shall be needed for official purposes.

We look forward to continuing to service your requests. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding.

WELCOME, REGIONAL CONSULTANT JUSTIN DAVIS!

Justin Davis is the Regional Consultant (RC) for the Northern counties of Georgia. Prior to accepting his new role, he served as Regional Coordinator at the State Office for over a year. He is a United States Marine Corps veteran and was stationed in Afghanistan where he assisted with developing a Mortuary Affairs Unit for the U.S. Army and served as their training consultant. Justin holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and an Associate of Science in Funeral Service Business. Email address:  [email protected]
STATE OFFICE OFFERS DEATH REGISTRATION CYCLE TIME WEBINAR
The State Office will offer a webinar to introduce a new reporting tool that will help counties monitor the death registration process locally.  Our goal is to provide you with a tool that allows you to see your own metrics and trends and to teach you how to navigate the tool to highlight local results. The webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, September 28, 2016 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT. Invitations including a link to the webinar have been sent. We look forward to working with you and your staff. For additional information contact Joseph Little, Regional Training and Support Manager at (404)486- 6344.
  DEATH REGISTRATION CYCLE

The information collected on death certificates is essential to monitor the health of Georgia residents. These data allow Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to track fatal conditions like cancer, heart disease, drug overdose, infant mortality, as well as any new or emerging conditions. Without the data from the death certificate, disease outbreaks might go unnoticed, and thus go unaddressed.

Another major concern for using death certificate data is timeliness. In order to respond effectively to new diseases or increasing deaths, it is important to have the completed death certificate available as soon as possible. If completed death certificates with cause of death information are not filed for several weeks or months after the date of death, the opportunity to mount an effective response might have passed. Therefore, timely death registration is essential to DPH and CDC.

Timely death registration also benefits the surviving families of the deceased. The grieving friends and families require a completed death certificate to manage their affairs, obtain survivor benefits from Social Security, and file death insurance claims. It is a disservice to surviving families and next of kin to force them to wait an extended period of time for a death certificate to be completed. Sending the records to the Social Security Administration in a timely manner is also an important fraud prevention measure. The sooner Social Security receives a completed certificate, the sooner they can deactivate a SSN and prevent that number from being used for fraudulent purposes.

Going forward, Georgia Vital Records is looking for ways to monitor and improve the timeliness of death registrations in the state. It is our goal that 80% of all death records will be completed and filed within 10 days of death. To that end, we have started tracking the cycle time of death records filed in each county. This is a tool to help you track the number of records filed in your county. In the future, we will be looking to our top performing counties to find best practices and more about their process to learn what makes them most effective.

We appreciate all of the work our counties do to complete death records, and we look forward to working with you to improve death registration cycle time, and in doing so, improve our ability to monitor the health and well-being of our Georgia residents.

SAVE THE DATE
The State Office of Vital Records, as part of our ongoing efforts to improve communications, provide training, and inform you of new Vital Records initiatives, cordially invites you and your staff to attend our 4th Quarterly Registrars Training and Meeting. The meeting will be held on the following dates with specific locations to be announced:
  • October 25th  - Pickens County
  • October 26th – Houston County
  • October 27th  - Cook County
We have a full agenda planned for you with updates on Fee and Issuance, Paternity Acknowledgements, Death Amendments and more. These quarterly meetings will continue to be held throughout the state, and will allow the State Office of Vital Records an opportunity to communicate, standardize, and provide governance to you, our local partners.  We are excited about this opportunity and look forward to seeing each of you! 
GAVERS TECHNICAL TIPS

When reporting a GAVERS technical issue on-line, it is highly recommended to include the State File Number (SFN) when you provide a brief description of the technical issue. A correct SFN, will reduce the time it takes for the State Office of Vital Records to search for a certificate. This is especially the case when court orders, adoptions or paternity acknowledgements/legitimations have been filed.
BIRTH RECORD RATINGS: THE TOP FACILITIES
Congratulations to the medical facilities whose August ratings for timeliness and completeness have placed them in the top rankings in the state of Georgia. The scores were calculated using the new, stricter standards from NCHS. Click on the link below to see the birth record ratings for July and August 2016.

WE APPRECIATE YOUR FEEDBACK
Thank you for responding to our newsletter survey! Based on the results, here is what we’ve learned:

  • The Vital Connection has a widely diversified readership. As shown in the pie chart below, Funeral Homes are the largest group, followed closely by County Vital Records/Probate staff and Local Registrars.

  • Overall 80 percent of you were either very satisfied or satisfied with The Vital Connection! 32 percent of you have either recommended or forwarded it to a friend or colleague. 
  • 78 percent of you find the content practical and helpful, and 79 percent find the information timely.
  • “The Director’s Desk” was the most favorite, highest rated section with “Constituents’ Corner” and “Death Registration Cycle” following.
  Along with your glowing feedback, we’ve also identified potential areas for improvement:
  • 41 percent of you are undecided regarding your ability to submit information or articles for inclusion in the newsletter.
  • Your most common suggestion was to include a section that explains Vital Records processing procedures.

We hear you! You are a valuable partner, and we are committed to using your feedback to improve our services to you. We ask for your patience as we consider the most effective approach for doing so. Again, thank you for taking the time to respond to our newsletter survey!  
VITAL RECORDS GEORGIA CODE & REGULATIONS

The State Office of Vital Records is making it easy and convenient for you to access our code and regulations on the go. We have provided a link below for quick access.  Click here for Georgia Code. Click here for Rules and Regulations.

Georgia Department of Public Health | State Office of Vital Records | Phone: (404) 679-4702 |
Fax: (404) 679-4730 | [email protected] | dph.georgia.gov/VitalRecords