Board of Health Burial Agents
The Board of Health Burial Agent is responsible for examining the death record, in particular the cause of death and disposition information, for any errors or omissions; and, upon acceptance, collecting fees where applicable.
The Board of Health Burial Agent must approve the death record to the clerk for registration when all requirements for the permit have been met.
Providing Burial Permits outside of regular business hours
The EDRS System allows Burial Agents the option of enabling the printing of the burial permits through a process called e-Permitting. The Board of Health Burial Agent will need to communicate with the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics if their community will Opt-In (which enables the printing of e-Permits) or Opt-Out (which only enables the printing of the burial permit after a permit number has been assigned).
If a Board of Health Burial Agent does not allow e-Permit printing, they are responsible for the approval of the death record prior to the printing of the burial permit by an authorized user. More information about e-Permitting can be found in the Opt-In Factsheet for off hours E-permitting (Doc) and the Opt-In Form for off hour E-permitting (Doc).
MAVRIC Training & Resources:
City and Town Clerks
The responsibility of the city/town clerk is to examine the death record for any errors or omissions; and upon acceptance, to record the certificate of death in the official records of the community. In addition, the city/town clerk can complete an amendment to correct an error on the registered death record.
MAVRIC Training and resources:
Funeral Homes
Funeral homes can create or access the death record after a pronouncement has been recorded. Funeral directors are responsible for completing the personal data items for the decedent, and the local board of health or its agent in the city or town where the death occurred, to obtain a burial permit prior to the disposition of the decedent. In addition, the funeral home ensures the medical certifier has completed their portion of the death record whether electronically within MAVRIC or non-electronically.
Key Worksheets for Funeral Homes (Must be logged into MA Train to access)
- Medical Certifier Worksheet
- Informant Worksheet for Certificate of Death (Part A)
- Veteran Information Worksheet for Certificate of Death (Part B)
- Funeral Provider Worksheet for Certificate of Death (Part C)
- ePermit Opt-In and Opt-Out Factsheet for Funeral Homes
MAVRIC Training and resources:
Medical Certifiers
As a medical certifier, a physician, physician assistant, or a nurse practitioner, you can initiate a death certificate. You are primarily responsible for documenting the decedent’s cause(s) of death. The electronic death record should be certified by a medical certifier within 24 hours from the time of death. In some cases, certification will need to be completed sooner to meet religious obligations.
Key worksheets:
Death Certificate Medical Certifier Worksheet
MAVRIC Training resources:
Medical Facility Staff
Medical facilities coordinate certification of the death records that occur in their facilities to provide the funeral home with a copy of the certified medical portion of the death record for transportation of the decedent.
Medical facility staff or a physician or a nurse practitioner can initiate the death certificate and are responsible for documenting the decedent’s cause(s) of death. The electronic death record should be certified by the medical certifier within 24 hours from the time of death. In some cases, certification will need to be completed sooner to meet religious obligations.
At times, the intended certifier of the death record will be unavailable to certify the death record when ready. In these circumstances, hospital staff should facilitate the reassignment of the death record for certification by another member of the decedent’s care team or a designated medical director.
MAVRIC Training and Resources:
Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner investigates the cause and manner of death for deaths that occur under violent, suspicious, or unexplained circumstances.
Registered Nurse / Nurse Practitioner / Physician Assistant Pronouncers
As a RN/NP/PA Pronouncer, you can initiate a death certificate. You are primarily responsible for documenting and pronouncing the decedent’s time and location of death. Pronouncers are encouraged to enroll in MAVRIC to start the process in MAVRIC rather than the paper process. Once a death is pronounced, the record will be available for funeral directors and medical certifiers to access.
MAVRIC Training and Resources: