November 9, 2017
Greetings Medical Examiners and Coroners:
Recently, The State Office of Vital Records / Georgia Department of Public Health amended certain regulations in Chapter 511-1-3 “Vital Records” pursuant to its authority under O.C.G.A. 31-2A-6 and 31-10-3.
The amended regulation will assist in preventing delays or disruptions when the family of the decedent is seeking closure and attempting to conduct business or manage financial affairs.
Amended: 511-1-3-.19 Reporting of Deaths. (c)
If for any reason the cause of death cannot be determined within 48 hours after death, then “under review” shall be entered on the death report and amended promptly after the determination is made
.
After your investigation is complete and the cause of death is known, the original death certificate will be amended by the State Office of Vital Records upon receipt of the Supplemental Death Form from your office. This form can be found at
https://dph.georgia.gov/sites/dph.georgia.gov/files/Supplemental%20Death.pdf . You will also be able to print the amended record for your files.
Donna L. Moore, MBA, PMP, CLSSBB
State Registrar & Director
Georgia Department of Public Health
State Office of Vital Records