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The instructions on ordering NYC death certificates and the restrictions on who can receive the "long form" death certificates with cause-of-death information or only the short form are on this page at the NYC Department of Health: Death Certificates

If you have difficulty finding the exact record you seek, look for other records that can supply the same information, using a checklist or record finder such as:

• Sources of Genealogical Information (posted by The Gene Pool on Rootsweb)
• FamilySearch Wiki: United States Record Finder
• FamilySearch Wiki: New York Record Finder

As you consult general research guides like these, keep in mind that New York City has different record-keeping than the rest of New York State, so advice about finding records for New York State often won't apply to New York City.

• FamilySearch Wiki: New York, United States Search Strategies for Locating Births, Marriages and Deaths subcategory 1900-Present
• FamilySearch Wiki: New York City Genealogy

You could also consider hiring a professional genealogist who is experienced in the area. See this answer for links and guidelines.

In late 2016, the US National Archives added some information from the Social Security Administration's Numident files to their Access to Archival Databases (AAD) website.

The Scope and Content notes explain what data is in the database:

Scope & Content Note: This series contains records for every social security number (SSN) assigned to individuals with a verified death or who would have been over 110 years old by December 31, 2007. There are three type of entries in NUMIDENT: application (SS-5), claim, and death records. A NUMIDENT record may contain more than one entry. Information contained in NUMIDENT records includes: each applicant's full name, SSN, date of birth, place of birth, citizenship, sex, father's name, mother's maiden name, and race/ethnic description (optional). NUMIDENT includes information regarding any subsequent changes made to the applicant's record, including name changes and life or death claims. The death records in NUMIDENT do not include any State reported deaths in accordance with the Social Security Act section 205(r). There are 72,182,729 SS-5 records entries; 25,230,486 claim record entries; and 49,459,293 death record entries.

These files come from the same source as Ancestry's U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, but the data is presented in a different way, and in some cases, reveal more information than Ancestry does. However, not all deaths are in the SSA's Death Master File, so your great uncle's death date may not be in these files.

You can request a copy of the following, using online Form SSA-711.

• Social Security Number Application (Form SS-5) of a deceased person.
• A computer extract of the Social Security number application (Numident) > of a deceased person.

You can request a copy of the following, using online Form SSA-711.

• Social Security Number Application (Form SS-5) of a deceased person.

• A computer extract of the Social Security number application (Numident) of a deceased person.