26:8-52 Correcting death certificates, procedure.

26:8-52. Corrections to death certificates shall be signed by the physician, registered professional nurse, county or intercounty medical examiner or assistant county or intercounty medical examiner, Chief State Medical Examiner, Deputy Chief State Medical Examiner, funeral director or informant, whose name appears upon the certificate, or shall be otherwise recorded and authenticated on the NJ-EDRS as prescribed by the State registrar; however, any individual having personal knowledge and substantiating documentary proof of the matters sought to be corrected may apply under oath to the county or intercounty medical examiner or the Chief State Medical Examiner in a case in which the certificate was signed by the Chief State Medical Examiner or Deputy Chief State Medical Examiner, to have the certificate corrected. The authority to sign or otherwise authenticate corrections or amendments to causes or duration of causes of death is restricted to the physician, Chief State Medical Examiner, Deputy Chief State Medical Examiner, or county or intercounty medical examiner or assistant county or intercounty medical examiner. Upon denial of an application for correction or amendment of a death certificate, a person who has applied to a county or intercounty medical examiner may apply to the Chief State Medical Examiner, who shall exercise discretion to review the matter and amend the certificate or to defer to the decision of the county or intercounty medical examiner. The decision of the county or intercounty medical examiner shall be deemed the final decision by a public officer in the matter unless the Chief State Medical Examiner amends or corrects the death certificate.

amended 1965, c.78, s.67; 1983, c.308, s.3; 1996, c.67; 2003, c.221, s.22; 2018, c.62, s.33.