Indian Health Service (IHS)
Death notification, 1 survivor benefit, and required documents
OverviewWhen someone dies
Indian Health Service Headquarters
Mailing Address
5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857
WebsiteVisit website→
IHS Area Offices (12 regional offices)
WebsiteLearn about benefits→
HoursFor medical records of a deceased patient, contact the specific IHS facility, tribal health program, or urban Indian health program where the patient received care. The 12 Area Offices are: Alaska, Albuquerque, Bemidji, Billings, California, Great Plains, Nashville, Navajo, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Portland, and Tucson.
HIPAA Privacy / Health Information Management
WebsiteLearn more →
HoursContact the Health Information Management (medical records) department at the specific IHS, tribal, or urban Indian health program facility holding the records.
Verified Jul 2026
The Indian Health Service is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services responsible for providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The IHS serves members of federally recognized tribes and their descendants through 12 regional Area Offices and a network of hospitals, health centers, and clinics. After death, families typically interact with IHS to obtain copies of the decedent's medical records — needed for probate inventories, life insurance claims, and VA survivor benefit applications for AI/AN veterans. The IHS does not administer cash survivor benefits; for trust funds and tribal probate, see the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Death notification
IHS is not a death-notification agency in the way Social Security or the VA is — there is no central IHS death registry and no benefit that gets paid out or terminated when a patient dies. Funeral homes report the death to the Social Security Administration, which propagates the information through federal systems. Where families do need to engage with IHS after death is to request the deceased's medical records: under HIPAA, the personal representative of a deceased individual (typically the executor or administrator named in the probate court order) has the same authority to access protected health information as the patient would have had in life. Records are requested from the specific IHS facility, tribal health program, or urban Indian health program where the patient received care, using Form IHS-810 (Authorization for Use or Disclosure of Protected Health Information).
Deadline: No deadline. Medical record requests can be made at any time after death; HIPAA protections for the deceased extend for 50 years from the date of death (45 CFR 164.502(f)).
Survivor benefits
The IHS offers 1 benefit for surviving family members.
Access to Deceased Patient Medical Records
The personal representative of a deceased IHS patient may request copies of the patient's medical records held by an IHS facility, tribal health program, or urban Indian health program. Records are commonly needed for probate inventories, life insurance claims, VA survivor benefit applications (for AI/AN veterans), wrongful-death litigation, and family medical history. Records are requested from the specific facility where care was received, not from IHS headquarters. There is no IHS-wide records system — each Area, facility, and tribal/urban program holds its own records.
When someone dies
Notifying the IHS after a death
6-step process, 5 required documents, and 1 survivor benefit.
View details →Frequently asked questions
Records are held by the specific facility where the patient received care — not by IHS headquarters in Rockville. Federally operated IHS facilities, tribally operated 638 programs, and urban Indian health programs each hold their own records. Contact the Health Information Management (medical records) department at that facility directly. If you don't know where the patient received care, start with the IHS Area Office for the region where the patient lived.
The Indian Health Service operates 12 Area Offices, each serving a distinct geographic region and the tribes within it: Alaska, Albuquerque, Bemidji, Billings, California, Great Plains, Nashville, Navajo, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Portland, and Tucson. Each Area Office oversees a network of federally operated facilities and coordinates with tribally operated and urban Indian health programs in its region.
IHS services are generally provided to members of federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes. Eligibility policies are set out in the Indian Health Manual Part 2, Chapter 1, and applied at the facility level — specific documentation requirements and registration procedures are handled by the facility where care is sought.
Indian Health Service Headquarters
Mailing Address
5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857
WebsiteVisit website→
IHS Area Offices (12 regional offices)
WebsiteLearn about benefits→
HoursFor medical records of a deceased patient, contact the specific IHS facility, tribal health program, or urban Indian health program where the patient received care. The 12 Area Offices are: Alaska, Albuquerque, Bemidji, Billings, California, Great Plains, Nashville, Navajo, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Portland, and Tucson.
HIPAA Privacy / Health Information Management
WebsiteLearn more →
HoursContact the Health Information Management (medical records) department at the specific IHS, tribal, or urban Indian health program facility holding the records.
Verified Jul 2026