Jul 9, 2020

Why Are Simple Things So Hard?

     What's it like dealing with Social Security these days? Here's a sample. Client gets approved. The field office needs a copy of his birth certificate. Client's father was in the military and assigned overseas when the client was born, overseas. His birth was registered with the U.S. embassy of the country where he was born. That's the way these things are done. The client reports back to me that the field office told him that the Department of State birth registration form isn't good enough. I wonder if someone at the field office doesn't know that this sort of document meets the agency's requirements or if there's some other problem. It takes two weeks and several phone calls before someone at the field office calls back to say the State Department form is fine. It's just that the client faxed it to them and they need to see the original. They never told the client this was the problem. They must have given the client their fax number. We didn't. The field office suggests that the client come around to the back door of the office and knock.  Someone should be there to inspect the original and give it back to the client. We were told they were doing this sort of thing regularly. We hadn't heard they were doing this. Certainly, the client hadn't been told they were doing that. Remember, the field office gave the client their fax number and only later decided that the faxed copy wasn't good enough but then failed to tell the client what he needed to do.
     Who knows whether other field offices are doing this back door business?
     Dealing with Social Security has always been harder than it should be. It's much harder now.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Or alternately, SSA did everything correctly and the Claimant misunderstood and fumbled the ball and blamed the agency.

Anonymous said...

All he has to do is mail it in... SSA mails the original back to him. My daughter just got her name changed on her card after getting married. Got the application on line, mailed it back with originals and they mailed her documents back to her. It was no problem...

Anonymous said...

Opening door is security violation. Should at very least do front door with guard present. Don't know what current policy is even on that. With limited reopening can an appointment be made? A local Congressman should help. Knowing who reads this blog is going to make some higher ups crazy.

Anonymous said...

There are a lot of jokes there about the back door.

Anonymous said...

This person was born overseaas. They are not a true American if they were born somewhere else. What's wronfg with this program? Now wonder people are so angry handing out money to people born somewhere else. America First!

Anonymous said...

@8:19, the original post is correct. If a child is born to a US citizen (mother or father) anywhere in the world, that child is a US citizen by birth right, not by birth location.

A Report of Birth Abroad is taken at the American Embassay in that country and provided to the State Dept. Some nations, the infant acquires dual citizenship at birth.

Some people are reluctant to mail in original docs for fear that they won't be returned and insist on an in person appt.

Anonymous said...

Yes - for critical cases that require the public to show up - generally new enumeration- we are doing this sort of thing. My guess is we messed up that with our mailing delayes they just opted to have the nh come to the fo. Generally we would ask them to mail it

Anonymous said...

Do you have any idea what you’re taking about or the sheer number of Americans overseas whose kids are born there. Highly recommend an education before you make such a stupid statement

Anonymous said...

@923 PM
"Some people are reluctant to mail in original docs for fear that they won't be returned and insist on an in person appt."

Which is okay if not for this pandemic. With no offices opened, appointments are supposed to be rare, as in there is no other way for the business to be conducted.

Letters requesting documents specifically say that original documents are needed (for pretty much all but tax returns and W2s) so it's more likely the person called and asked for the FAX number than the office said he could fax in his birth certificate.

Anonymous said...

@8:19 PM are you saying John McCain was not a "true American" because he was "born somewhere else" or am I misinterpreting your words by quoting them?

Anonymous said...

@9:52

Not 8:19, but as I recall, McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone, which was a US territory at the time. Curious if that would even count as being "born somewhere else."

@8:19

You are an American citizen either if you are born to an American parent, or born within the United States. You don't need to be both born to American parents AND within the United States.

Anonymous said...

Knock on the backdoor. Tell them "Joe sent me". Remember, the password is "swordfish".

Anonymous said...

I suspect 8:19 is a troll pretending to be someone he is not. Don't indulge him.

Anonymous said...

@8:19 Do you have orange hair and foot bone spurs?

Anonymous said...

remember the steps it takes to update the 1696? the original 1696 was 1 page, 1695 was 1 page, all it had was the ssn of the rep. now the new 1696 is 4 pages, how do you make a 2 - 1 page form into a 4 page form with almost identical info? ask ssa.