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The Vital Statistics Division is headed up by the Local Registrar and a staff of three and is under the direction of the City Secretary. This division is responsible for the timely submission of birth and death documents recorded in the City of McAllen to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Staff is also responsible for attending to the high volume requests for certified copies of said records. The Vital Statistics Division has been linked to the State Online Services since 1996 which provides accessibility to birth records for anyone who was born in the State of Texas since 1926 to the present. Records for those born in the City of McAllen date back to 1904. An imaging system implemented a few years ago has been extremely effective with the research and retrieval of records for the customer. For five consecutive years, the Vital Statistics Division has been recognized by the State with the Five Star Award for the timely submissions. To qualify for the Five Star Award, documents are to be submitted within 20 days of the date of event. Additional requirements are that staff must attend the annual state conference or a regional conference and maintain current status of the Attorney General’s Paternity Certification Program. In 2003, staff achieved the highest possible recognition, the Exemplary Award; which averaged less than 13 days from the date of event.
The entire division staff is certified through the Attorney General’s Office to issue Acknowledgement of Paternity (AOP) Forms to unwed parents in order for the child to be legally recognized by the father. The AOP is a critical step to ensure that the child is eligible for benefits associated with healthcare, social security, veteran’s benefits and child support. This certification allows staff to provide this service to the customer at the local level rather than having to refer them to the Attorney General’s Office in Austin. Staff is required to attend mandatory training in order to initially certify and consequently re-certify on a yearly basis. New legislation and the state’s initiative for modernization and automation led to changes to fees and charges for vital records services. Effective December 1, 2005, the DSHS increased the cost for birth certificates to $23 and the cost for death certificates to $21 for the first copy and $4.00 for additional copies ordered at the same time. As added convenience, credit card payments are accepted. The respective forms to obtain birth and/or death certificates are available on the official city website at www.mcallen.net/departments/secretary/certificates. The Vital Statistics Division issues birth and death records by appointment only. To obtain a birth or death certificate, please contact our office at (956) 681-1195 for the next available appointment. If you would like to request vital records from other states,
visit the National Center for Health Statistics website for more information.
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