Washington Administrative Code

(1) If you request access to vital records with personal identifiers for research purposes or statistical study, you shall be required to submit a letter of request to the state registrar stating:(a) The purpose of the research;(b) Research study design and analysis plan;(c) The …

All certificates of birth or death shall either be made out legibly with unfading ink or typewritten through a good grade of typewriter ribbon, and shall be signed in either case in ink. No certificate made in pencil shall be accepted by a registrar as a permanent record of birth…

When an infant is found for whom no known certificate of birth is on file and for whom no other identification is known, the finder shall notify the police authorities having jurisdiction within the area of finding.The police authorities, within 48 hours, shall have the local hea…

(1) If the state registrar receives information that a birth certificate may have been registered or amended through fraud or misrepresentation, neither the state registrar nor local deputy registrars will release copies of that certificate until an informal administrative hearin…

(1) For the purposes of this section:(a) "Adult" means a person who is at least eighteen years of age, or is an emancipated minor under chapter 13.64 RCW.(b) "Minor" means a person under the age of eighteen years of age, but not an emancipated minor under chapter 13.64 RCW.(c) "X…

(1) An interested person may request registration of a live birth that occurred in Washington state when no birth record is found on file with the department.(2) Interested person means:(a) A person registering his or her own birth if age eighteen or older; or(b) The parent(s) or…

(1) If the person is under age twelve, the facts concerning date of birth, place and parentage of birth must be established by at least two pieces of documentary evidence, only one of which may be a sworn statement; or(2) If the person is age twelve and over, the facts concerning…

(1) The state registrar may verify the authenticity and accuracy of documentary evidence provided by the requestor.(2) If the request for registration is incomplete, the department will notify the requestor. An incomplete request for registration of a delayed birth certificate wi…

Each hospital and facility where lawful induced abortions are performed during the first, second, or third trimester of pregnancy shall, on forms prescribed and supplied by the secretary, report to the department during the following month the number and dates of induced abortion…

To assure accuracy and completeness in reporting, as required to fulfill the purposes for which abortion statistics are collected, information received by the board or the department through filed reports or as otherwise authorized, shall not be disclosed publicly in such a manne…

(1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (2) of this section, all deaths that occur in Washington state must be reported electronically using the format and system prescribed by the state registrar.(2) All fetal deaths that occur in Washington state must be reported using t…

(1) When the individual who gave birth and the individual seeking to establish parentage were married after the birth of the child, the individual seeking to establish parentage shall file an assertion with the department to establish a presumption of parentage consistent with RC…

(1) The individual who gave birth and an alleged genetic parent, an intended parent through assisted reproduction, or a presumed parent may use an acknowledgment of parentage that complies with RCW 26.26A.200 through 26.26A.265 to establish parentage. When the completed acknowled…

(1) If parentage is established by court order, the court or parents of the child must submit a certified copy of the court order to the department.(2) The department may require supplemental information to locate and change the child's birth record to comply with a court order t…

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise:(1) "Authorized representative" means a person permitted to receive a certification who is:(a) Identified in a notarized statement signed by a qualified applicant; or(b) An…

(1) Effective January 1, 2003, the department shall use the 2003 revisions of the United States standard forms of live birth and fetal death as the basis for the state certificates of live birth and fetal death. These forms are developed by the United States Department of Health …

(1) The confidential sections of birth and fetal death records shall not be released except upon order of a court with jurisdiction over the department or as specified in subsection (2) of this section.(2) The individual who is the subject of a birth record may request the confid…

The department shall collect the following items on the legal or public section of reports for registration into the statewide vital records system in accordance with chapter 70.58A RCW and this section.REPORT OF LIVE BIRTHTable 3:Legal or Public Birth Record ItemsItem NameDiffer…

Certifications and informational copies of birth and death records issued from the state vital records system must contain only items in accordance with this section.(1) Unless the items are not available or were not collected at the time of birth registration, certifications of …

(1) For certifications of birth, death, fetal death, and birth resulting in stillbirth, the state or local registrar shall release certifications only to qualified applicants as permitted by chapter 70.58A RCW.(2) For each application, the qualified applicant must submit all of t…

(1) A qualified applicant requesting a certification of birth must submit the following information as it appears on the birth record on a form provided by the state or local registrar: (a) First, middle, and last name of the subject of the record;(b) First and last name of all p…

(1) The qualified applicant must submit identity documentation to the state or local registrar to receive a certification of birth, death, fetal death, or birth resulting in stillbirth in accordance with this section.(2)(a) The qualified applicant must submit to the state or loca…

(1) The qualified applicant must submit evidence of eligibility documents to the state or local registrar to prove they are eligible to receive a certification of birth, death, fetal death, or birth resulting in stillbirth.(2) If the qualified applicant is listed as a party on th…

(1) To receive a certification of marriage, dissolution of marriage, or dissolution of domestic partnership, the applicant must submit to the state registrar:(a) Information to correctly identify the record requested consistent with the requirements of (c) of this subsection;(b) …

(1) Qualified applicants requesting a certification at no charge per RCW 70.58A.560 (2) and (3) must provide identity documentation, eligibility documentation, and required information to the state or local registrar in accordance with RCW 70.58A.530 and this chapter, in addition…

(1) To receive an informational copy of a birth or death record, the applicant must submit to the state or local registrar:(a) Information to correctly identify the record on a form provided by the state or local registrar consistent with the requirements of (c) or (d) of this su…

(1) The applicant will receive a written notice of no record found if the state or local registrar cannot find a record based on information provided by the applicant. The application request will be considered closed after the written notice is sent. Following such notice, the a…

(1) The department shall collect nonrefundable fees to cover program costs as follows:To prepare a sealed record following an adoption or to search the vital records system for adoption record information.$15.00To file an assertion of parentage, an acknowledgment or denial of par…

Vital records data is used by government agencies, tribes, researchers, private entities, media organizations, and individuals for assessment, public health surveillance, and epidemiological study. The rules in this chapter provide the requirements for requesting vital records da…

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise:(1) "Analytic services" means a service provided by the department that includes working with vital records data in order to disseminate requested information to customers.…

(1) The department may disclose vital records information for persons named in any birth, death, or fetal death record in accordance with chapter 70.58A RCW and this chapter.(2) The department may aggregate data from birth and fetal death records, and may release such aggregated …

(1) A researcher requesting birth or fetal death record data that contains direct identifiers for research purposes must comply with the requirements of chapter 70.58A RCW and this section. The department will not release data to a researcher requesting data from the department u…

(1) A government agency requesting birth and fetal death record data that contains direct identifiers for nonresearch public health purposes must comply with the requirements of chapter 70.58A RCW and this section. The department will not release data to a government agency reque…

(1) This section applies to the following data requests:(a) Birth and fetal death data that contains only indirect identifiers;(b) Infant death data that contains indirect identifiers;(c) Death data files; and(d) Marriage and divorce data files.(2) All requests for data under thi…

(1) All written data sharing agreements with the department for the release of vital records data must comply with the requirements of chapter 70.58A RCW and this section.(2) A data sharing agreement with the department is required for the following:(a) Government agencies reques…

(1) The department retains the discretion to determine what form or format is most appropriate to provide to a particular requestor. Where the department provides data files on a routine schedule, the department may automate file production. The department may manually produce da…

(1) The department shall collect nonrefundable fees as follows:(a) One hundred seventy-five dollars per preliminary standard data file;(b) Three hundred fifty dollars per annual final standard data file;(c) Two hundred dollar flat fee for up to two hours of analytic services or g…

The purpose of a coordinated quality improvement program is to improve the quality of health care services and identify and prevent medical malpractice under RCW 43.70.510. This chapter establishes the criteria and approval process for health care entities who choose to apply for…

(1) The following health care entities may apply for the coordinated quality improvement program:(a) Health care institutions and medical facilities other than hospitals, that are licensed by the department;(b) Professional societies or organizations;(c) Health care service contr…

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.(1) "Alternative program" means a coordinated quality improvement program determined by the department to be substantially equivalent to RCW 70.41.200(1).(2) "Department" m…

A program under the provisions of RCW 43.70.510 shall include, at a minimum:(1) The following components, as modified and approved by the department to reflect the structural organization of the health care entity:(a) A governing body;(b) A committee, appointed by the governing b…

(1) To obtain department approval of a program, an authorized representative of the health care entity shall submit to the department a completed application on forms provided by the department. A completed application must include at least the following:(a) A table of contents c…

(1) To maintain department approval, a health care entity modifying the scope, components or operation of an approved program, shall submit to the department:(a) An application package specified in WAC 246-50-030(1), modified as appropriate; and(b) A detailed description of the m…

A health care entity seeking department approval of an alternative program shall submit to the department, in addition to the items specified in WAC 246-50-030(1), verification of certification or accreditation by an organization approved by the department.[Statutory Authority: R…

All health care entities with currently approved programs must apply for renewal of their programs by December 31, 2021. An application for renewal must meet the requirements of WAC 246-50-030(1). A program remains approved while an application for renewal is under consideration …

A program plan and all supplemental material are public records and are subject to the Public Records Act, chapter 42.56 RCW, once the department receives them. Health care entities submitting material they believe is exempt from public record disclosure should clearly mark the p…

A health care entity must submit a fee with each application as follows:Title of FeeFeeOriginal application$250.00Alternative application40.00Modification application of a department-approved program65.00Renewal application75.00[Statutory Authority: RCW 43.70.510 and 43.70.250(2)…

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.(1) "Alkaline hydrolysis" or "hydrolysis" means the reduction of human remains to bone fragments and essential elements in a licensed hydrolysis facility using heat, pressu…

(1) Funeral directors, embalmers, medical examiners, coroners, health care providers, and others directly handling or touching human remains must:(a) Wash hands and other exposed skin surfaces with soap and water or equivalent immediately and thoroughly after contact with human r…

(1) Funeral directors, embalmers, and others assisting in the preparation of human remains for final disposition shall refrigerate or embalm the remains upon receipt.(2) Funeral directors, embalmers, and others assisting in the preparation of human remains for final disposition m…