What significant information does a death certificate include?

The inclusion of cause of death, date of death, and personal information about the deceased on a death certificate is essential for legal, medical, and administrative purposes. This information serves as an official record of a person's passing and is crucial for various processes, such as settling estates, claiming life insurance, and for state or federal statistics regarding mortality rates. Specifically, the cause of death helps to provide clarity about the circumstances surrounding the individual's passing, which can be significant in public health assessments and determining trends in illnesses or causes of death in a community.

The other options do not pertain directly to the core functions of a death certificate. For instance, while death benefits information may be relevant to survivors, it is not documented on the death certificate itself. Similarly, funeral service providers’ details are not a required aspect of the certificate but may be relevant in a different context. Obituary information, while important for informing the community of the death, is typically published separately and does not constitute part of the official death record. Thus, the focus of a death certificate is firmly on the formal documentation of facts concerning the death itself, making the correct answer a crucial component in understanding its purpose.