How to check death records online?
I am in care of child whose last surviving parent has passed away and the child is entitled to collect support benefits. The soc sec office requires a copy of the death record before they will pay out these benefits and I have no idea of how to find a copy of a death certificate or record. I also cannot afford to hire an attorney. Is there anyway to check death records online?
You need to go to the county where the death happened and request a copy of the record. there is a Social Security death index on line, but it lists people who were receiving benefits at the time of their death. A child can claim benefits from either deceased parent and only the death of that one needs to be proven.
You may find the date and county via
http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi
How you get a copy of a death certificate is go to the county in which the person died and buy it from the county clerk, or the vital records department. If the person was living in Beloit, Wisconsin but died in a traffic accident in Las Vegas, Nevada, you may have to ask in both counties if they have one. You may be able to buy one from the state department of vital records. You may be able to do it by mail, if you don’t live near the county.
Usually you have to be immediate family to buy one, to cut down on identity theft. Your case is special. You should be prepared to show your custody order, or something that proves you have charge of the child.
Most states are collaborating with VitalChek to assist in the overwhelming number of request they are receiving for birth, marriage and death certificates since the Federal laws changed post 9/11. https://www.vitalchek.com/ Their services are not free but they do have information on what records are available from each state, who is eligible to order the records and what the current fees to order the records will be.
The Social Security Death Index, which you can search free on the FamilySearch.org site at: http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/f… and on the Rootsweb site provided by Ancestry at http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ this will tell you the state and county where the death certificate is available.
Once you know where the death certificate is then you can decide if you want to order it from the state Vital Records Department by mail directly, order it through Vitalchek.com, or go in try to purchase it in person. You will need proof that you are the child’s guardian and should provide that regardless of which method you choose for ordering the certificate.
You didn’t say what relationship you were to the child’s parents but if you are close to the funeral home that handled the funeral there is a possibility that they might have a copy.
I would think that you could go to the County Courthouse in the county that the child’s parents lived, and request the documents you need, just make sure you have all the correct and proper papers for the one that you are caring for. jmho
Sorry to hear about your loss but it seems that instances like this have been very common in past years. Some research reveals that it is very common in years following natural disasters and times of war. There are many reasons someone would need a proof of a death records but are unable to locate it and in cases where there is a surviving child it is no exception because the caretaker is usually not close to the deceased parent(s). Fortunately there are excellent services that allow you to check death records online. Since this is an event of public record you can check death records legally, easily within minutes. Good luck.