Committee adopts amendment to ease funeral-director timing for death certificates

The Senate Medical Affairs Committee adopted an amendment to S894 intended to clarify when a funeral director must electronically file a death certificate and how delays are handled when required personal data is not available.

Committee staff said the amendment requires electronic filing with the Bureau of Vital Statistics within five days after a funeral director takes physical custody of a decedent, but provides two accommodations: if the five‑day period ends on a weekend or federal/state holiday the certificate may be filed by the close of the next business day; and if the funeral director, after a good‑faith effort, is unable to collect the personal data required, the funeral director must immediately notify the bureau of the reason for the delay.

Steve Wimmer, vice president of the South Carolina Funeral Directors Association, told the committee that a death certificate can be received with a pending cause of death and later amended, and that the funeral director typically submits the biographical portion electronically to the certifier (physician or coroner) and may receive a pending cause back for certification. Senator Marshenberg raised concerns about coroner investigations that can delay certification for weeks; Wimmer said that the delay would often rest with the certifier rather than the funeral director and that some insurance processes can still proceed using a pending certification.

The committee adopted the amendment and then issued a favorable report by voice vote. Staff said the amendment was intended to address situations in which the funeral director lacks required data through no fault of the funeral home and to reduce penalties for noncompliance when the delay is caused by other certifying parties.

The amendment’s text requires notice to the Bureau of Vital Statistics when a funeral director is unable to collect required personal data and clarifies next‑business‑day filing when a statutory five‑day period ends on a weekend or holiday; the committee adopted the measure by voice vote and reported it favorably to the full Senate.