New York adoptees waiting for original birth certificates to arrive may be getting impatient. Well, there’s a good reason for the hold up.
Today I learned the New York State Bureau of Vital Records is experiencing significant delays in processing orders from adoptees and their descendants.
The news came from the New York Adoptee Rights Coalition. The coalition received an update from the New York State Department of Health Pre-Adoption Birth Certificate Unit. The update only applies to the areas of New York outside of New York City. Adoptees from the city follow a different process to apply for their OBCs.
State offices are operating with reduced staff and resources, the result of the state’s COVID-19 public health emergency.
How Orders for Original Birth Certificates Are Processed
As of August 5:
- The bureau had completed the majority of applications received during the month of January.
- Employees were processing requests that came via mail and VitalChek during the week of February 10-14.
- Employees handle applications in the order in which they are received. They try to prioritize orders from senior citizens.
- The bureau is working with the Office of Children and Family Services to develop a process for people born outside New York but adopted within the state. Applicants who fall in this category can expect to receive a letter from the Department of Health in a month or so.
Since New York’s historic adoptee rights law took effect January 15 of this year, thousands of New York adoptees have ordered copies of their original birth certificates. As of July 31, the bureau reported processing nearly 6,300 of the more than 9,700 applications received.
If you already applied for your OBC, do not contact the Department of Health for updates. Do not submit another application. Be patient.
If you haven’t already done so, you can apply for your original (pre-adoption) birth certificate. Check out the New York State Department of Health’s site for more information.
If you were born in New York City, you can apply for the original birth certificate from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
For more information on New York’s status, visit the NYARC’s Facebook page.
My husband sent his in Jan 16 and the check hasn’t been cashed. If they are processing ones received in Feb does he need to send it in again? Wondering if it got lost? His was paper app mail for NYC, Staten Island.
Hi Jody. A Facebook acquaintance said it took almost 8 months (!) to get his original birth certificate from the NYC Department of Public Health. The COVID-19 outbreak has slowed everything down.
Since the check was not cashed, I guess it’s possible your husband’s order was never delivered. According to the NYC Dept of Health, you can check the status of your order online. You’ll see the link to check the status on the page here: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/services/birth-certificates.page
Thanks for reading my blog and posting a comment. Take care!
I sent in a check February 20th and now need to resend a new one..never heard anything back yet..but someone said that all checks 6 months and older are expired. How do I do it? Should I wait to hear from them?
Theresa, are you on Facebook? You should join the NYAdoptees group. Joan Edelman, the group moderator, updated the site with the latest information for NY adoptees. Here is a link to the group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nyadoptees
I hope you get your OBC soon. I know how important it is and how frustrating it must be to still not have it after 8 months. Best of luck to you!