OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Kacey Curtis and Lael Howard have been waiting two years for a birth certificate for their son, Braysen. The family said they’ve placed multiple orders with the Oklahoma Department of Health. Now, they just want the answer as to why the wait continues two years later.
“I mean, we can’t get insurance because the insurance keeps kicking him off because of, you know, two and a half year old and still doesn’t have documents to get the social security number. You can’t get any of that without it,” said Kacey Curtis and Lael Howard, the parents.
They said they’ve tried multiple times to get a new certificate after their son’s name was originally spelled wrong and other documents were needed.
“We were at the, at the hospital getting…well, you know, they want you to fill out this paperwork at the hospital, and, um, we didn’t know at the time that we needed, like, an acknowledgment and, uh, denial of paternity because she was technically married at the time,” said Howard.
The family said they’ve also tried to contact the Department of Health to find out what needs to be fixed on the account to get a certificate.
“I called up there and they were like, oh, yes, I’m supposed to be in contact. And then I called back like two weeks later and they were like, oh, I don’t see where there’s anybody who seems to be contacting you…it’s always a different story,” said Curtis and Howard.
The Department of Health sent News 4 a statement regarding Curtis and Howard’s case:
“We encourage anyone who has concerns or questions to contact the agency, AskVR@health.ok.gov, so we can work with them personally to resolve any issues. However, we do need information from the mother to complete the certificate. We are happy to work with her to provide instructions on the documents we need to complete the record. If there is a misspelling a hospital statement of correction can be accepted to correct that. Birth records are permanent, legal identity documents and serve to establish the legal parentage of a child. It’s vitally important for all required forms to be filled out timely, completely and accurately, so we are able to issue a record being requested. If there is a birth certificate that must be amended, those can take longer to issue. We recommended parents work with hospitals to ensure paperwork is completely filled out and correct before leaving the hospital to avoid any delays. Individuals are able to order birth certificates online, by phone or by mail. Vital Records offers will call hours where people can come pick-up their certificates each afternoon. Online and phone orders allow us to be more efficient and consistently issue records for complete online orders in 1-2 business days saving our customers time and the expense to get to an office and the frustration of waiting in long lines. We are always looking at opportunities to increase access to services to best meet the needs of the public while assuring fast reliable service. We want to ensure our clients, Oklahomans, have the options they need to access our services.”
Oklahoma Department of Health
The family said they’re going to reach out to the Department of Health again and see what new information they need to provide to finally get their toddler a birth certificate.
