Death Certificates: Your questions answered
When someone dies a chain of events occurs. The start of information being passed through different entities starts and the death certificate process begins, but who starts it, and what information goes on it? This guide should help you get a better understanding of the death certificate process in California.
Who makes the death certificate?
A death certificate is typically made by the funeral home you choose to handle your loved ones' disposition. However, the medical examiner or a hospital (in some cases) can start the death certificate process and pass it along to the funeral home if one has not been chosen yet. This process can vary and usually depends on how and where the person died.
How many death certificates do I need?
Most people typically only need 3-7 death certificates. Some people will only need 3 or fewer death certificates due to how many things the deceased had in their name. Multiple properties, multiple cars, multiple bank accounts, multiple life insurance, and other policies may all require an original. However, not all people have as many accounts as others and thus will not require as many death certificates. It should also be noted that most banks today will now accept a copy of an original death certificate and because of that you may not need as many.
What are they used for?
To put it simply, death certificates are used for closing out accounts, transferring titles, paying out life insurance policies, notifying utility companies, or closing or transferring anything in the deceased's name.
What information goes on a death certificate?
Death certificates are split into two sections the first section which is the top half of the death certificates is all of the deceased's information such as their full name, their social security number, their home address, their occupation, and also some family genealogy such as their parent's full names and what state or country they were born in. This information is provided by the legal next of kin of the deceased to the best of their knowledge. The second section or the bottom half of the death certificate is the medical information. This information comes from either the deceased's doctor or the medical examiner. They list the causes of death and then sign it.
Why does the death certificate say causes are pending?
If a person was taken to the medical examiner's office sometimes an investigation into how the person died is performed. This may include an autopsy and/or lab work. Unlike on TV, the results from the lab work or autopsy can take anywhere from 6 months to one year to process to determine the cause of a person's death. Because of this the death certificate can usually still be filed and the cause of death section will say “pending causes”. The causes are then updated by the medical examiner when they have completed their investigation.