Question: My wife and I were married in May. When we applied for our marriage license, the clerk at the state Department of Health indicated that there would be a wait for the official "Marriage Certificate," but we could request an expedited certificate, provided a small payment is made. We applied for several expedited certificates, but it’s been two months and we haven’t received anything. Multiple attempts at calling the provided number have been made, but the phone is never picked up. My wife went to the office three weeks after mailing in the expedited request forms and was told there was no record of our marriage certificate application. We checked with our officiate, who said the license was mailed in on time. What recourse do we have on finding out where our expedited certificates are?
Answer: You’ve since informed us that you received the certificates at the end of July, which is about the time it is now taking the Department of Health to issue marriage certificates.
We reported in February <!– — is.gd/kokualine02222011 —–> that it was taking longer to process requests because of staff cutbacks, limited resources and furlough days.
The delays have since gotten worse, with it now taking a minimum of eight to 10 weeks to send out requested marriage certificates.
The major reason is a shortage of staff to handle the requests, 20,000 a year for marriage certificates alone, said Janice Okubo, spokeswoman for the Health Department. "We just don’t have enough staff to do it faster."
Asked about mold found in the basement of the department’s building, Okubo acknowledged, "We are dealing with a mold issue in our archival vault," which holds older records: marriages before 2003, divorces before 2002 and deaths before 1984.
Birth certificates are not affected.
The mold "is not the major reason for any delays, though," Okubo said, because workers still are able to access the records.
"It just means a worker has to put on protective gear" to retrieve the records, she said.
The Health Department has had a professional assessment of the mold completed and is in the process of finding a vendor to do the cleanup.
Until bids are returned, Okubo said it’s not known how long the cleanup will take and at what cost.
Regarding not being able to get through when calling, she said the best time to call is between 2:30 and 4:30 p.m., after the public window at the Health Department closes at 2:30 p.m. and more staff is available to answer phones.
Okubo said you must have been given incorrect information about the certificates, because "there is no expedited certificate."
Newlyweds can request a certified copy of their marriage after a wedding, which might be sent out earlier than the official marriage certificate because certified copies are processed by a different staff.
"I think when marriage officiants and marriage clerks suggest you also apply for a certified copy, they’re telling you you might get that earlier than an official certificate, but unfortunately, it is not a guarantee and it is not an expedited process," Okubo said.
AUWE
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