Some State Offices still 'COVID' closed?

[bucktalk]

I've had zero luck trying to communicate with the Department of Vital Records at their state office. All of my emails/phone calls to them are never successful. I cannot understand why their office remains closed to the public, lobby closed, etc. I can see why they their review ratings get a 2.6 at best.

Does anyone have any insight information of when these offices will open to the public again?

[Martin]

no idea of when they will reopen, but know exactly what you're going through. we had a situation where we tried to get a death certificate to help make a real estate transaction go through and ended up in bureaucracy hell. my experience was that vital records is currently only processing requests through a third party website.

this ninety-something year old guy never got around to taking his deceased wife's name off of the assessor's record. even though the property was in a trust, the title company still wanted a death certificate to cover their bases. the poor guy barely knows what's going on around him let alone being able to navigate the request website. we fill in the request form for him, find all of the pertinent information and scan in his driver's license... we did everything the site asked for, but a day or two later the site asked for additional information. they wanted a copy of the marriage license to prove that he had the right to request the death certificate. he was married in the 1940's in the oklahoma panhandle... so good luck with that. the staff informed us that they didn't have the resources to advise us how to proceed. we ended up having to go another route and fortunately the sale went through.

long story short... i was sorely displeased with the level of disfunction for a vital government service.

[Midtowner]

DHS is a **** show from child support enforcement to child welfare. Everyone is working from home. I've had child support orders take several months to get approved when all they have to do is make sure I've included the right language (I have) and sign the signature block I made for them.

[bucktalk]

no idea of when they will reopen, but know exactly what you're going through. we had a situation where we tried to get a death certificate to help make a real estate transaction go through and ended up in bureaucracy hell. my experience was that vital records is currently only processing requests through a third party website.

this ninety-something year old guy never got around to taking his deceased wife's name off of the assessor's record. even though the property was in a trust, the title company still wanted a death certificate to cover their bases. the poor guy barely knows what's going on around him let alone being able to navigate the request website. we fill in the request form for him, find all of the pertinent information and scan in his driver's license... we did everything the site asked for, but a day or two later the site asked for additional information. they wanted a copy of the marriage license to prove that he had the right to request the death certificate. he was married in the 1940's in the oklahoma panhandle... so good luck with that. the staff informed us that they didn't have the resources to advise us how to proceed. we ended up having to go another route and fortunately the sale went through.

long story short... i was sorely displeased with the level of disfunction for a vital government service.

I'm sorry that you're expreincing the same issue. I wish I could be hopeful that things will improve regarding this issue but it's not looking hopeful at all. Ugh!

[bucktalk]

DHS is a **** show from child support enforcement to child welfare. Everyone is working from home. I've had child support orders take several months to get approved when all they have to do is make sure I've included the right language (I have) and sign the signature block I made for them.

And to add to the problem is there is little we can do to bump up better response time. Who, exactly, can we call to get things moving again? This particular department of the state has fallen into the abyss I'm afraid.

[TheTravellers]

Been 30 days since we renewed our DLs online, wife sent in a contact form asking what the status was, and actually got a reply (I'm shocked they replied, TBH). So even though my.ok.gov says "we're slow, please contact us after 30 days", they said it would be approximately 75 days. Absolutely f-ing ridiculous that an online renewal takes more than 2 months, just insane that this state is in this situation....

Edit - just found out she called yesterday afternoon and the message on their phone system said (paraphrased) "Our phone system can't handle any more calls for the day, goodbye" and hung up. Totally completely pathetic.

[TheTravellers]

And to add to the problem is there is little we can do to bump up better response time. Who, exactly, can we call to get things moving again? This particular department of the state has fallen into the abyss I'm afraid.

*That's* the part that's p!ssing us off - is there nothing anybody can do about this at all? Anybody at any level of state gov't that can make things get back to normal? Why are things so backed up? And are other states as bad off as here? I'll probably email my rep/sen about it, not that they can do anything, but just to make them aware.

[FighttheGoodFight]

*That's* the part that's p!ssing us off - is there nothing anybody can do about this at all? Anybody at any level of state gov't that can make things get back to normal? Why are things so backed up? And are other states as bad off as here? I'll probably email my rep/sen about it, not that they can do anything, but just to make them aware.

Texas is as bad. My in law has been on the list for a DL from the DMV. She made an appointment last year. She gets to go in October of this year.

[Scott5114]

I requested a copy of my birth certificate from Vital Records back in March (realized I didn't have a copy of it when I was trying to get things together to get a Real ID). They cashed the check the moment they got it, but didn't print the certificate until June 3 and it only arrived this week.

[bucktalk]

I requested a copy of my birth certificate from Vital Records back in March (realized I didn't have a copy of it when I was trying to get things together to get a Real ID). They cashed the check the moment they got it, but didn't print the certificate until June 3 and it only arrived this week.

I sent $60.00 along with specific documents they requested to get my birth certificate from Vital Records. They immediately cashed my check then contacted me 30 days later to say they needed additional documents! When I tried to reach them to ask why they didn't inform me of the additional documents at the beginning and what EXACTLY do they need -I get no actual person to speak with me on the phone. "Leave a message" or 'contact us via email' is the only response. Ugh!

Can anyone tell me how I could contact to get action from Vital Records?? Apparently "Top Ten States" from the governor doesn't include Vital Records Department. Ugh.

[Scott5114]

Well, they didn't tell you they needed additional documents at the beginning because they didn't bother looking at it at the beginning, of course. They were just interested in the check.

For what it's worth, I did mine by mail and they accepted the only document I sent (newly-renewed non-Real ID driver license). They have a list of other acceptable forms of ID on the website. If you have a more complex case (i.e. you're requesting one for someone other than yourself), that would be beyond my experience, unfortunately.

You might try contacting your state rep and ask their office to look into the case for you if you really can't get anyone from Vital Records to reply by email.

[TheTravellers]

Wife has been calling and emailing anybody possible about the online DL renewal fiasco - DPS, OHP, our state Rep., and has gotten only one real answer (on-hold for hours, people that answer and say "sorry, can't help and don't know who you talk to", etc.) from the admin ass't to our Rep. She said that if you have done an online renewal, but are able to make an appt. at a tag agency and get a license from them, that when the online renewal comes up it will be cancelled and the money refunded. How many here believe that will actually happen? She's going to try, though, when appts open up at Classen Tag on Monday, so we'll see. All I really want from them is to know how many online renewals they can do each day, and what number I am in the backlog, but can't even find that out. Just pathetic...

[bucktalk]

What department head does Vital Records fall under? There must be a way to get things moving if enough frustration was shared with someone who can make things happen? Sadly, I don't even know who to contact!

[Scott5114]

Vital Records is part of the Department of Health.