Vital Records Dept of Oklahoma. Ridiculous.

[bucktalk]

For well over a year I've been dealing with the state vital records department regarding a complicated effort to receive my original birth certificate. I've sent money, endless emails and talked on the phone a couple of times and NO ONE there seems to have a clue. It would be extremely helpful to sit in front of an employee to explain my situation. Yet, as of today, the Vital Records Dept is STILL closed due to Covid. So ridiculous and frustrating. I know of no other state office still closed due to Covid. I'm at a loss of what I can do????

[Martin]

i feel your pain... i was roped into a situation last year involving vital records. my mom was working with a seller whose wife had passed away around ten years prior. he had never taken her off the property record and he was in the early stages of dementia. the title company wanted a death certificate during closing. his current wife couldn't navigate vital record's phone system, so i was brought in to try to obtain one via the web site. in the end, there wasn't anything we could do to get the information we needed. fortunately, one of the seller's children dug around their records and found a copy of it. it dumbfounded me how such an essential government service was basically inaccessible.

[bucktalk]

i feel your pain... i was roped into a situation last year involving vital records. my mom was working with a seller whose wife had passed away around ten years prior. he had never taken her off the property record and he was in the early stages of dementia. the title company wanted a death certificate during closing. his current wife couldn't navigate vital record's phone system, so i was brought in to try to obtain one via the web site. in the end, there wasn't anything we could do to get the information we needed. fortunately, one of the seller's children dug around their records and found a copy of it. it dumbfounded me how such an essential government service was basically inaccessible.

Man....thanks for relating to my frustration. In my last phone call with the vital records department, they said, "for offical papers you'll need to send in $45.00...blah, blah, blah". I strongly stated, "I've already sent in $60.00 that you cashed but you have NOT sent me any documents!" Their response, "I don't know anything about that but you'll need to send in $45.00..." #@$%$#$#%%%$$#

[Martin]

Man....thanks for relating to my frustration. In my last phone call with the vital records department, they said, "for offical papers you'll need to send in $45.00...blah, blah, blah". I strongly stated, "I've already sent in $60.00 that you cashed but you have NOT sent me any documents!" Their response, "I don't know anything about that but you'll need to send in $45.00..." #@$%$#$#%%%$$#

wow... did you charge the $60 to a credit card? i'd consider a chargeback. if i remember right, $60 sounds like the price from the website... i believe that a third-party company is processing those requests which might explain why the person on the phone had no knowledge of it.

[Bits_Of_Real_Panther]

Maybe contact your state representative or senator's offices?

I believe they have constituent services.

[gjl]

Is Social Security still closed? 2 years ago when I turned 65 and got my Medicare card I saw my name was not spelled as it was on my birth certificate. Digging out my original SS card I saw it was wrong too. Glenn spelled with one N instead of two. SS offices were all closed because of Covid. I was required to mail my original birth certificate and they wanted my drivers license too in order to get my name changed on SS records. Both had to be originals, not copies. I thought great will I ever get these back? I didn't want to be without my DL for however long it took so I paid to get a State ID made and sent that in instead of my DL which was also acceptable. I did get everything returned but it took about 2 months.

[king183]

Maybe contact your state representative or senator's offices?

I believe they have constituent services.

I would strongly recommend this tactic. I had a similar issue; unfortunately OSDH uses some pretty terrible technology for many of their processes and things get backed up, lost, etc. Email your state senator and state rep and tell them what the situation is, how long you've waited, that they can't seem to provide you answers, and that you need the issue resolved ASAP. Your reps will then contact the appropriate leadership at OSDH, who, more often than not, will spur some quick movement toward a resolution.

[king183]

Is Social Security still closed? 2 years ago when I turned 65 and got my Medicare card I saw my name was not spelled as it was on my birth certificate. Digging out my original SS card I saw it was wrong too. Glenn spelled with one N instead of two. SS offices were all closed because of Covid. I was required to mail my original birth certificate and they wanted my drivers license too in order to get my name changed on SS records. Both had to be originals, not copies. I thought great will I ever get these back? I didn't want to be without my DL for however long it took so I paid to get a State ID made and sent that in instead of my DL which was also acceptable. I did get everything returned but it took about 2 months.

Social Security is not closed. I recently went in to the Moore office to handle a matter for a family member.

[Ward]

I have been less than impressed with dealings with various state agencies. Unbelievable incompetence and attitudes.

Makes me so mad I want to move to Arizona, at least the winters are better.

[bucktalk]

I have been less than impressed with dealings with various state agencies. Unbelievable incompetence and attitudes.

Makes me so mad I want to move to Arizona, at least the winters are better.

The inefficiency and poor attitude through many state offices is just sad. I realize not a lot of people are beating down the doors to work for the state. I get it. Yet, the lack of care/concern for important requests like original birth certificates, etc. should be met with better customer service attitude as in, "I'm here to serve you and help met your request". The attitude I pick up on from the state is, "I don't have time for you, nor do I care". Toxic and rebellious.

[Celebrator]

I have been less than impressed with dealings with various state agencies. Unbelievable incompetence and attitudes.

Makes me so mad I want to move to Arizona, at least the winters are better.

But will the government agencies be better? In all of the states I have lived in, I have had similar experiences--long waits, frustrating bureaucracy, and less-than-helpful employees. But good luck.

[unfundedrick]

I just got a certified copy of my birth certificate but maybe you're trying to do something different. It took about 8 weeks but it came from the state health department in the mail. All I did was mail in the required documentation along with a check.

[bombermwc]

So none of the state offices are actually closed. Anyone that's saying that is using it as an excuse. Now, they may not all be able to go in to the office at the same time still (which is pretty dumb at this point), so it's slowing things down, but they are absolutely not closed.

I'd hit up your state senator/representative. I've had excellent success in dealing with ridiculousness in the past this way.

[TheTravellers]

So none of the state offices are actually closed. Anyone that's saying that is using it as an excuse. Now, they may not all be able to go in to the office at the same time still (which is pretty dumb at this point), so it's slowing things down, but they are absolutely not closed.

I'd hit up your state senator/representative. I've had excellent success in dealing with ridiculousness in the past this way.

Agree with this - wife asked our state rep about her DL renewal, which was taking forever, and he intervened and got things moving.

[traxx]

I don't really have a solution or answer to offer you. But I will say that I used to work at the state health department and the apathetic attitude permeates the whole department. It's the same at all state agencies but osdh seems to be one of the worst. I'd always heard "good enough for government work" and had assumed it was a joke with a little bit if truth. Nope. That's how they operate in government. Seriously. Also the attitude of "not my money" is prevalent. Which, if you're a tax payer, yeah, it is your money.

I was an oddity in government. I wanted to do a good job and help the taxpayers get their money's worth. If I could get an old piece of equipment to work by buying a $35 adapter instead of buying a whole new piece if equipment, that's what I did. I tried to encourage certain workers to forgo apple computers for a windows box that was cheaper with more horsepower. If your software is a third party cloud program then you don't need a Mac. That was met with a lot of resistance.

There's a reason osdh can't go more than 3 or 4 years without a scandal.

[GaryOKC6]

Are you sure you did not click on a 3rd party vendor site. I got a birth certificate recently and it wan not too hard. This was on their website.

Announcement

Vital Records offers multiple options for obtaining your records. While our lobby is no longer open to walk-ins, we do offer quick affordable turnaround options to help meet your needs. This shift in service allows Vital Records to provide improved customer service and to process and have complete online orders in the mail within two (2) business days. For time-sensitive orders, order online or over the phone to arrange for Will Call pickup at three locations – Oklahoma City, Tulsa and McAlester. Failure to complete the applications in full and include all required items will result in processing delays.

[Midtowner]

Not being open for in person services at this point is ridiculous.

[bucktalk]

I don't really have a solution or answer to offer you. But I will say that I used to work at the state health department and the apathetic attitude permeates the whole department. It's the same at all state agencies but osdh seems to be one of the worst. I'd always heard "good enough for government work" and had assumed it was a joke with a little bit if truth. Nope. That's how they operate in government. Seriously. Also the attitude of "not my money" is prevalent. Which, if you're a tax payer, yeah, it is your money.

I was an oddity in government. I wanted to do a good job and help the taxpayers get their money's worth. If I could get an old piece of equipment to work by buying a $35 adapter instead of buying a whole new piece if equipment, that's what I did. I tried to encourage certain workers to forgo apple computers for a windows box that was cheaper with more horsepower. If your software is a third party cloud program then you don't need a Mac. That was met with a lot of resistance.

There's a reason osdh can't go more than 3 or 4 years without a scandal.

I have taken each step requested by the Vital Records department. I even had to get a court ordered release from a judge, due to being adopted, because the Vital Records department required it. I sent the document in, followed their instruction exactly. After not hearing from them in 8 weeks, I called them only to hear the lifeless employee there say, "we'll need you to send in $60.00 to process your request"....after I already sent them $45.00 over a year and a half ago. It's the delay and the 'I don't care' attitude from the department which makes me crazy frustrated. I would throw a HUGE party if they would say, "why don't you come by our office and let's get this complete for you".

[Jeremy Martin]

It seems like some of the state employees invented quite quitting years ago and we have been suffering ever since.