A Measure of Compassion
The death of a loved one is one of the most significant, and often most trying, events in anyone’s life. Grief and emotional loss are only part of the experience that comes with the passing of a family member. All too often, survivors are thrust into a complex world of forms and legal documents they are unprepared to navigate.
The last thing a person wants to worry about following the death of someone close to them is paperwork — especially when forms haven’t been filled out correctly.
Senate Bill 282, which I sponsored, seeks to streamline the process of correcting routine errors in the electronic registry of death certificates. While no one wants to deal with bureaucratic mix-ups, these burdens are even more daunting for survivors of service men and women whose death occurs far from home.
The parents of an unmarried soldier who passes away at Fort Leonard Wood may live in another state. They don’t have the option of driving to the local courthouse to have an error corrected. Likewise, the surviving spouse of a soldier stationed at a military base may not consider Missouri to be home. He or she may soon move to another state after the death of their spouse, and need to navigate a labyrinth of government offices a long distance away.
In Missouri, medical certifications of death are entered into an electronic registration system. Current law says that when required information is missing or incomplete, the medical provider who determined the cause of death must attest to changes. Sometimes it takes weeks or months to obtain the necessary corrections. Meanwhile, after-death arrangements are held up while the family waits for a simple electronic form to be fixed.
This legislation allows a funeral director or the local registrar of the document to attest to submissions of missing or incomplete information. Nothing in the bill removes the need for affidavits or court orders to amend death certificates.
There are other aspects of this bill that address next-of-kin issues, but the portions most likely to affect survivors are the simplification of corrections. The death of a loved one is traumatic enough. Families shouldn’t have to delay settlement of an estate because a line on a form was left blank.
Reducing paperwork headaches benefits everyone, but it’s especially beneficial for survivors who may not call Missouri home. This bill provides just one small measure of compassion toward families in their time of grief. I hope the Senate will agree and pass this measure.
It’s my honor to serve as your senator for the 16th District. If you have questions or need any assistance, please call my office at 573-751-5713 or log onto my webpage at https://www.senate.mo.gov/brown for more information.