Death of Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough causes confusion, delays for vital records

COOK COUNTY (WLS) -- The death of Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough has caused confusion and delays in processing vital records, including birth, death and marriage certificates.

The clerk's office said it is required to change documents that still have Yarbrough listed as the official signatory.

"You know, there certainly has been, have bene people who have died in office and so on, but this is, this is different because it does affect something paper that we physically need," said Susan Dyer-Hultgren, president of the Cook County Funeral Directors' Association.

The office is currently unable to provide paper copies of those records, but they can still be registered online.

Dyer-Hultgren said she started getting calls Wednesday from funeral directors who couldn't finalize death certificates and obtain permits for burials and cremations through the state's vital records portal.

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"When they went physically to the clerk's office, the health department, they were told that they could no longer do them because of Karen's death," she said.

Thursday, the clerk's office said that issue has been resolved, and funeral directors can receive and print all the paperwork needed to proceed with funerals through the portal.

People are still able to get marriage licenses, but not certificates, which can be requested after the marriage.

But until Yarbrough's successor is named by the Cook County Democratic Party, the office is "temporarily unable to provide paper copies of birth, death and marriage certificates."

Death certificates, which are generally available within a week, are often needed for families to collect life insurance and settle loved ones' estates.

"After seven days, I think that potentially could start to be concerning," Dean-Hultgren said.

But for now, Cook County Democrats are not scheduled to meet to vote on Yarbrough's successor until the week after next, and several candidates are vying for the position.

Yarbrough died Sunday from an undisclosed illness.

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