Complete Story
11/11/2025
Ohio Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics
Important Update
As part of the statewide transition to the new Ohio Vital Records System (OVRS), funeral homes will gradually lose access to the Electronic Death Registration System (EDRS) according to the schedule below:
- Phase 1 & Phase 2: Access ends Wednesday, November 19
- Phase 3: Access ends Monday, December 1
- Phase 4: Access ends Monday, December 15
To see which phase includes your funeral home, CLICK HERE.
To avoid any disruption to your operations, please make sure the following actions are completed before your scheduled phase-in date:
- Complete all pending death records in EDRS.
- Search your queue by “Pending,” “Filed,” and “Complete” to ensure that every case your funeral home initiated has been finalized and registered. Any record not registered before your phase-in date will not transfer to OVRS and must be re-entered.
You can search for any unregistered records in EDRS by entering the “Year of Death” as 2025 and filtering the “Overall Record Status” by pending, filed and complete.
- Print all disposition permits.
- Permit printing will not be available for any EDRS records once your access is removed.
- Approve all pending disposition permits (if you are a sub-registrar).
- Any permits not approved before your phase-in date will no longer be accessible for approval.
ODH/Vital Stats strongly encourages all funeral homes, regardless of phase, to begin using OVRS as soon as possible; email Vital Stats at OVRS@odh.ohio.gov with your OHID Username and request to gain access before your county’s phase in date . Doing so allows you to start and complete new cases in the new system without interruption while finalizing any remaining cases in EDRS.
All registered records in EDRS will be transferred to OVRS within 2–3 weeks after registration. If you need to amend a record that has not yet appeared in OVRS, please contact the ODH Help Desk at (614) 466-2531. The Help Desk can also assist with voids or other questions regarding records that remain unregistered prior to your go-live date.
OVRS has guidance documents under the HELP dropdown in the system. There is a variety of guides to assist with workflows like workflows like Ordering Certified Copies, Disposition Permit Guide and Death Amendments/Corrections Guide.
In addition, OFDA has added an OVRS Resources center under Member Services on its website with updates, Frequently Asked Questions, training webinar and more. OFDA is here for you during the implementation of ODH/Vital Stats OVRS system.
