Makeup of Death Master File Changed
Effective November 1, 2011, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is no longer including state death records in the SSA's Master Death File (DMF). The law governing this action is found at www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/ssact/title02/0205.htm. Section 205(r) prohibits the SSA from disclosing state death records it receives, except in limited circumstances.
Since it can no longer add these entries, the SSA further decided to remove 4.2 million existing state records from the DMF. This removal represents a little over 4.7% of the entire database. One of the significant pieces of information that the state records data added to the DMF was the last known residence (state, county) of a subject.
Please note that the SSA does not have a death record for all persons. The DMF as a verification tool is good, but the absence of a particular person does not guarantee the person is alive.
Authorized users requesting fingerprint-based Criminal History Record Information (CHRI) checks for certain noncriminal justice purposes will see a lower fee starting March 19, 2012. The charge for a CHRI check when submitting fingerprints will decrease by $2.75, and if for a volunteer there is a $.25 decrease.
For example the current fee in effect for electronic submission by authorized users will decrease from $19.25 to $16.50. The fee for Centralized Billing Service Providers (CBSPs) will decrease from $17.25 to $14.50. The fee for "volunteers" will decrease from $15.25 to $15.00, and if CBSP then $13.25 to $13.00.
This new fee should lower the cost when the FBI performs the fingerprint search for background checks performed by state occupational licensing boards and also for the issuance of HAZMAT endorsements for commercial driver licenses.
More information about this decrease is viewable on the Federal Register at www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-20/html/2011-32544.htm.