Remember that the database was built by people and human error can occur. Also remember that the database holds as of 2008 over 81,000,000 records so it is more than likely that people of similar names or even similar circumstances. Therefore there are some steps you might want to take to ensure your search will be as accurate, simple and as fast as possible. The first and formost important thing that you should do is be as accurate as possible. Gather as many details as you possibly can. Try to gather as many details on the deceased as possible. This includes a full name (including a middle name), social security number, full date of birth, full time of death, location of birth and place of burial.
If you are still unable to find the deaths record of the person you are looking for, there a few scenarios that are not uncommon due to human error. Try typing number in a different order. For example, often clerks mistke numbers such as the month and the day within a date. So if a person was declared dead on Novermber 9th 1986, you may want to try 9/11/86 as well as 11/9/86. Also you might want to try searching for misplaced years, such as 86 instead of 68. Use multiple spellings within for the deceased's name. This is important especially when it comes to imigrants and people of other nationalities where there is a misconception of how to spell their names. Another common mispractice is to place the name of the person backwards, in order words the death record has mixed the first name and the last name. Also try to omit certain details. For example, if you know a person's fullname and date of birth, try omiting the date of birth because you the date may have been inserted incorrectly.
Yes. It is possible to report for errors. If you found an error in any details regarding the death record of the deceased, or even in the actual report of a living person as deceased, you may contact your local social security office with the propper proof and documentation. Social Security will then take the steps required to update the files properly. In most cases, you will recieve a notification once the correction has taken place.
When making a search as an individual, rather than as a governmental agency, the social security number is quite often hard to obtain. However, the social security number is one of the most important details in a search as it is a common identification marker that is used in multiple other records such as deaths records, cemetery records, funeral records and even other non-related documentations such as medical records, army records, marriage records and so forth.
The Social Security Death Index can also provide you with additional clues regarding the individual in question. The SSDI holds inforamtion regarding last known residence of the individual. In addition, the records may hold clues regarding the financial state of the individual.
