Death Registration Module in New Ohio Vital Records System Set for Go-Live

Ohio's current Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS) will cease operation when the death registration module in the new Ohio Vital Records System (OVRS) launches in phases throughout October, November, and December 2025.

All funeral home directors, county coroners, and e-physicians currently certifying deaths in EDRS will need to migrate to the OVRS death registration module after their phase's go-live date. (All local health departments have already migrated to OVRS.)

• Phase I Go-Live on Wednesday, Oct. 22 - All coroners, e-physicians, and funeral home directors in 10 counties (see map below).
• Phase II Go-Live on Wednesday, Nov. 19 - Funeral home directors in 30 counties (see map below).
• Phase III Go-Live on Monday, Dec. 1 - Funeral home directors in 28 counties (see map below).
• Phase IV Go-Live on Monday, Dec. 15 - Funeral home directors in 20 counties (see map below).

On the transition date, funeral homes that operate in the counties going live with OVRS will be restricted from starting new death certificates in EDRS. Access to EDRS will continue for all certificates previously started in the system until they are completed and registered with the state. Once registered, the information will be converted to OVRS.

"Funeral home directors and coroners will need to ensure that any death event that is started in EDRS is completed in EDRS as quickly as possible so they can begin to use the new OVRS system for all new death cases," said Judy Nagy, Chief of the Ohio Department of Health's Bureau of Vital Statistics. "It will be up to funeral home directors and coroners to follow the appropriate workflow for records that are completed in EDRS, and the new workflow for records being started and completed in the new OVRS death registration system."

Access to OVRS will be available only through the State of Ohio's secure OHID digital platform, which provides access to different state agency services and applications through a single set of log-in credentials. Access to the platform requires the creation of an OHID account by visiting the OHID webpage. Funeral home directors and coroners have been previously notified about this planned change, and staff should have already created roles within the new OVRS application. Anyone who needs help doing so can send an e-mail to [email protected] for assistance.

The ODH Bureau of Vital Statistics has been communicating directly with current EDRS users over the past year-and-a-half about the planned retirement of these separate applications and their replacement with OVRS as a single vital records system for registering births, deaths and other related services. The new system will offer enhanced security, accessibility on a mobile device, electronic submission of records, and integrated payment and ordering capabilities.

Questions about OVRS and the death registration module should be sent to the OVRS team at [email protected].