Getting a death certificate shouldn’t take this long

The Washington state toxicology lab in Seattle is so backlogged it now takes months before county coroners and medical examiners can sign off on death certificates.

A delay that long is maddening for those kept waiting. This situation is completely unacceptable, and lawmakers should find a way to correct it soon.

Grieving families cannot get closure – emotionally or financially – without that official critical document.

Knowing the cause of a loved one’s demise can help people begin the healing process. Death certificates also are required to obtain insurance benefits, stop automatic bill payments, cancel services and finalize estates.

Just a couple of years ago, it took less than three weeks to get a death certificate issued. But the number of cases needing lab tests have climbed, officials say, and since April more than 3,500 are waiting to be processed.

The state toxicology laboratory performs drug and alcohol testing for coroners, medical examiners, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and the State Liquor Cannabis Board in all 39 Washington counties.

While there are many reasons to explain why demand for lab results have erupted, officials say a primary cause is the legalization of marijuana. The amount of alcohol can be measured in a person’s system by using a breath test, but detecting marijuana takes a blood test.

The state lab conducted 9,740 DUI blood tests in 2017. That’s about 2,700 more than in 2015, according to the Yakima Herald-Republic.

In addition, more tracking is being done to see if people are dying from opioids such as fentanyl and heroin. If officials are trying to see a trend, the faster those tests are processed the better.

Currently, the one lab is Seattle is handling all the testing. And while the number of cases continues to climb, the staffing levels at the lab have not. They have either stayed the same or, at times, been lower than the number of employees in 2012.

That kind of imbalance is sure to create problems.

The Legislature this year approved money to pay for additional staff at the lab, which could help. However, Franklin County Coroner Dan Blasdel thinks more must be done.

Blasdel, the vice chairman of the Washington Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners, said it is unlikely the lab will be able to catch up on the backlog by adding more workers.

The Seattle lab is running out of space, and he would like to see regional labs created across the state. We like that idea.

If that happens, there should be one in Eastern Washington.

Blasdel has suggested Spokane, but we think the Tri-Cities also would be a great spot. We are more centrally located, after all.

“It’s a high priority, especially when it’s affecting widows and facilities from getting their benefits.,” he said.

Grieving the loss of a loved one is hard enough. Let’s not burden people more by delaying the death certificate.