What You Will Do:

As an Amendment Specialist in the Center for Health Statistics, you’ll play a key role in maintaining the accuracy and integrity of Washington State’s vital records—documents that serve as the legal foundation for identity, citizenship, parentage, and access to critical services. Your work directly supports individuals, families, and state systems that rely on verified information for legal, medical, and social needs.

You’ll provide technical guidance and consult on legal amendments to records such as birth, death, marriage, divorce, and adoption—ensuring compliance with state and federal laws. Whether assisting an adoptee requesting access to sealed records or resolving discrepancies in a certificate, your attention to detail and commitment to public service will help uphold the credibility and trustworthiness of our vital records system.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide specialized consultation on amendments and certifications to a wide range of audiences, including the public, hospitals, attorneys, state and federal agencies, and local health jurisdictions.
• Interpret and apply statutes, rules, and policies related to vital records, including those governing adoption, parentage, marriage, divorce, and identity verification.
• Research complex cases, guide applicants through legal and regulatory requirements, and evaluate documentation for amendments or corrections.
• Assess amendment and registration requests, verify requestor authority, identify potential fraud, and determine whether changes can be legally applied.
• Manage sealed adoption records and provide appropriate information to eligible individuals in compliance with RCW 26.33 and WAC 246-491.
• Update the state’s official vital records database (WHALES) to reflect approved amendments, and maintain organized documentation to ensure accuracy and privacy.
• Contribute to ongoing policy development, legislative implementation, and quality improvement initiatives.
• Respond to escalated inquiries and legal requests, and support public records responses in collaboration with administrative staff.
• Test and support system updates to WHALES, ensuring system functionality aligns with legal requirements.

Option 1: Two (2) years of experience interpreting and applying laws, policies or contracts that govern program work and providing customers with clarity, options and actionable next steps to accomplish their needs.

Option 2: Associate degree or higher plus one (1) year of experience interpreting and applying laws, policies or contracts that govern program work and providing customers with clarity, options and actionable next steps to accomplish their needs.

AND:

• Two (2) years of experience resolving customer inquiries, problems, or complaints by phone, email, and in-person. 
• One (1) year of experience processing large volume of form transactions in a timely manner with a high degree of accuracy and regular interruptions.
• Experience assisting customers in difficult and sensitive situations while staying calm and acting in a professional manner.
• Experience using MS Excel to create, modify, print and format spreadsheets, find and replace data, work with basic formulas and functions, use templates, styles, AutoFormats, and multiple worksheets.
• Experience using MS Word to create, format, edit, preview, print, and save documents; use standard functions to select, edit, copy, paste, format, and spell check text; create bullet and numbered lists, indent and align paragraphs, and use bordering and shading features.

Key Competencies:

• Clear, audience-aware communication (verbal and written)
• Strong problem-solving and research skills
• Team collaboration and professional accountability

About Washington State Department of Health

Our programs and services help prevent illness and injury, promote healthy places to live and work, provide information to help people make good health decisions and ensure our state is prepared for emergencies. To accomplish all of these, we collaborate with many partners every day. We help ensure a safer and healthier Washington by: Working to improve health through disease and injury prevention, immunization, and newborn screening Providing health and safety information, education and training so people can make healthy choices Promoting a health and wellness system where we live, learn, work, play and worship Addressing environmental health hazards associated with drinking water, food, air quality and pesticide exposure Protecting you and your family by licensing healthcare professionals, investigating disease outbreaks and preparing for emergencies

Connections working at Washington State Department of Health