BOSTON (AP) — Long delays from the Massachusetts medical examiner’s office in issuing death certificates are putting an additional strain on many grieving families and making it more difficult to settle estates and process insurance claims.

The Boston Globe (http://bit.ly/1nMQFqR) reports that the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety says the number of unfinished death certificates soared from 58 in 2011 to 947 in 2013.