Funeral Homes
Burial - Transit Permits (BTP)
A BTP is required for a body to be removed from the state, cremated, or transported by a common carrier. As per TAC 181.2(b), a death certificate “completed in so far as possible” is required before a local registrar can issue the BTP.
Local registrars are still responsible for issuing these permits. Local registrars can use the death general data entry screen to verify that a death certificate is in TxEVER.
Local registrars can require documents such as verification of death facts, report of the death, and/or authority to cremate.
The funeral directors can print the verification of death facts and report of death from TxEVER, and the authority to cremate can be found on the TxEVER Landing Page.
Users can now obtain Burial Transit Permits (BTPs) from TxEVER before medical and demographic verification.
For funeral homes to print the Burial Transit Permit (BTP) as quickly as possible, the medical certifier only needs to accept medical designation in TxEVER, then select and save "Natural" as the manner of death. The medical certifier can later return and complete the death certificate within the required 5 days after medical designation. Look here for more details Steps for Medical Certifier for Burial Transit Permit
The manual BTP process can still be used as needed to issue a written BTP without a completed death certificate. BTPs have been incorporated into TxEVER. This electronic process requires the medical certifier to indicate a manner of death but does not require medical certification.
Death Data Quality
Death records provide important public health information. The data must be accurate, complete, and measurable. Statistical data impacts the general health of Texas because it relates directly to research, public health programs, medical practices, and funding.
- Vital Statistics has partnered with Texas A&M School of Public Health to create online trainings to improve the death registration process. There are specific trainings for each type of medical certifier, which include information on the significance of accurate death reporting to public health. In addition, there are two trainings covering death reporting in times of disaster.
Resources
- Funeral Director’s Handbook
- Death Certificate and Cause of Death Reporting in Times of Disaster
- Just in Time-Death Certificate and Cause of Death Reporting in Times of Disaster
Fetal Death Reporting in TxEVER
1. Funeral homes are no longer required to enter information on the calculated or estimated gestational age of the fetus to begin a new fetal death record (questions 1-3 are pre-checked as “no” and question 4 can be skipped). Complete all required fields and select “find record”.
2. Once you click “find record”, you will receive a notice that a matching record is not found, you will click “ok” to create the new record.
3. Some registration tabs have been reordered. The Fetus, Mother, Mother Dem, and Father tabs must be completed to designate to a medical certifier.