health.ny.gov Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS) : New York Department

Name of the Organization : New York Department of Health
Type of Facility : Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS)
Country : New York, USA

Website : https://www.health.ny.gov/vital_records/edrs/

Electronic Death Registration System

On September 27, 2013, Governor Cuomo signed into Law, Chapter 352 of the Laws of 2013, which amends Article 410 of New York State Public Health Law (PHL) to add Section 4148.

Related : New York Department of Health Adoption Information Registry : www.statusin.org/24410.html

Section 4148 establishes an electronic death registration system (EDRS). The law authorizes and directs the Department of Health to design, implement and maintain a system for collecting, storing, recording, transmitting, amending, correcting and authenticating information relating to deaths occurring in New York State.

EDRS will be a secure web-based system to electronically register deaths. Because it will be web-based, it will be accessible anywhere that internet access is available.

Users authorized to complete a death certificate will be granted access to the system. Among those who will use the system are funeral directors, physicians and other medical certifiers, medical examiners, coroners and local Registrars of Vital Statistics.

The purpose of EDRS is to:
** streamline the death registration process;
** improve the quality and timeliness of the data collected;
** reduce the time it takes to file death records and
** improve communication among those responsible for filing.

The benefit of EDRS includes faster delivery of death certificates, reduced travel costs for funeral homes, improved disease tracking for public health purposes, and reduction in fraudulent filing of death benefits due to faster vital events tracking.

EDRS Information for Funeral Directors:
Effective September 28, 2013, each burial and removal permit issued to a New York State licensed funeral director requires a $20.00 payment to the Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Records.

This new fee is a result of the amendment of New York State Public Health Law (PHL) Article 41 to add section 4148, which establishes an Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS). Subdivision 5 of PHL §4148 mandates that the establishment and support of the system will be funded by funeral directors through a payment of $20.00 for each burial–transit permit that is issued. The payment shall be remitted by the funeral directors directly to the Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Records.

In an effort to appropriately reconcile permit fee payments, the following specific information must accompany each funeral director’s payment:
** Date permit was issued;
** Registration district name and district number;
** Name of deceased;
** Date of death;
** Funeral director name & registration number;
** Death registration number (if known).

The necessary information above can be provided by submitting a copy of each burial–transit permit or by submitting a listing with the required information. A sample template form for the listing is available below.

Payments should be sent monthly to the address below and include a listing or copies of the burial–transit permits and a check or money order made payable to NYS DOH-BVR.
New York State Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Records EDRS Unit
800 N Pearl St Rm 205
Albany, NY 12204