NewsTroubleshooters

Actions

Troubleshooters: Death Certificate

Posted at 3:14 PM, Jan 19, 2018
and last updated 2019-06-24 16:14:39-04

On today’s Troubleshooters, a woman says a local funeral home misspelled her late husband’s name on his death certificate and that’s delaying the insurance benefits coming to her. Clarence and Sylvia Hannah were married 27 years until he passed away last October.
Mr. Hannah’s funeral was held at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home on Old Brownsville Road.
And because he was a veteran he was laid to rest at the Coastal Bend Veteran’s Cemetery.

His widow Sylvia says this is the correct spelling of his full name.  Clarence Booker Hannah.
She pointed out how it’s misspelled on his death certificate.
"My husband’s middle name is Booker.  Clarence Booker.  And on the death certificate it has BUCHER.  On wife Sylvia Hannah, the H is left out of my last name."

Sylvia says she submitted the certificate with the misspellings to the insurance company.  They rejected it.
"What this is doing is holding up the benefits that are payable to you thru your husband’s insurance ?  Yes sir."
The Troubleshooters spoke with Brandon Greenwood of Heritage Memorial Funeral Home.

He acknowledges they made the misspellings.
But he adds that he sent an amended version to the state Department of Vital Statistics.
It could take up to 90 days to get the corrected certificate back. 

Mrs. Hannah says "I’m not being treated fairly because you got paid and I’m still waiting."
We called the Nueces County Vital Statistics office this afternoon.
They had no record of Mr Hannah’s death certificate, so they recommended we call the state office in Austin.
They also told us it can take up to 6 months before an amended certificate to be issued.