From a press release:
U.S. Reps. French Hill (R-AR) and Steve Womack (R-AR) joined their home-state Republican colleagues in seeking changes to a federal policy requiring Arkansans to turn over primary identification documents, such as a driver’s license, to obtain a new copy of their Social Security card.
“We write to request that you alter Social Security Administration (SSA) policy that forces our constituents to choose between violating the laws of the State of Arkansas or forgo driving themselves to important destinations, such as to work or to the doctor,” wrote Rep. Hill, Rep. Womack, and U.S. Reps. Rick Crawford (R-AR) and Bruce Westerman (R-AR) in an Oct. 8 letter sent to SSA Commissioner Andrew Saul.
According to the members’ letter, the SSA is remote-only in Arkansas due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and requires that a driver’s license be presented to apply for a replacement Social Security card. Specifically, Arkansas SSA officials are requiring individuals to mail in their driver’s licenses for processing. ...
SSA needs evidence verifying identification, and a driver's ID or state ID card seems appropriate in that regard.
ReplyDeleteI am doubtful that SSA is being trained to verify the legitimacy of a particular state's license, to the extent the physical card would be necessary.
I think a good compromise would be a scanned/faxed copy of the driver's ID or state ID, along with a signed statement that the copy is accurate as to the original would be sufficient. If the worry is fraud, it's not like someone can't submit a physical fake ID and risk a felony under the current system.
I recently applied for a replacement card through my social security account. I had to provide my license number but no physical card or other information was requested. It took about a week to get the card mailed to me.
ReplyDeleteNice in a way but the reality is that I had not seen my card in 40 years and no one had ever asked to see it, including when I was hired by the Government. They did fingerprint me though.
I get the issue with having to show documents that are difficult to replace when SS asks for originals. The problems i have seen most recently involved Naturalization papers and Green Cards but we were able to call the District Office Manager and arrange for an in person meeting with protection to copy and return. Like everything else, a little common sense to sole the problem goes a long way.
anon@11:16am,
ReplyDeleteYou'd be wrong on the training bit. Agency personnel have access to A LOT of hidden security details about state and federal ID documents that are used to determine whether they are genuine or not. Things like microprinting, hidden intentional errors, and where/how they should or should not fluoresce under a black light source, placement of background textures, document image placement, i.e. essentially the exact same information law enforcement for that state has.
The majority of employees know this stuff about the IDs they constantly see everyday (such as drivers licenses/state IDs for the state they work in) without even having to look it up. I can guarantee that if you show me a physical DL or ID card issued by my state that I can tell you, with a very, very high degree of confidence, after an examination of less than 30 seconds if it is genuine or a forgery. For surrounding states, I'm not as good, but can come up with a similar finding for those DL/ID cards within 5 minutes or so given access to SSA's security documents and my trusty black light.
I like the letters that say mail us your green card, we will give it back, we promise.
ReplyDelete@12:50
ReplyDelete11:16 here. Good to know. I'm generally familiar with my state's particular ID security features, because I needed to be familiar with those security features years ago when I worked in retail for alcohol/tobacco sales. I just wasn't sure a federal agency would be tooling it's training to particular state's security features. I should have been more specific. The black light source obviously wouldn't work on a scanned copy, nor would holographic images and the like. Also any reliability the texture of the actual card would be lost. But the other security features, background textures and document image placement, should carry over to the scanned copy, assuming the quality of the scan is decent, which does preserve some degree of confidence in ensuring the ID is accurate. If it's not, the worker could tell the individual to send in a better copy.
Some degree of confidence would obviously be lost due to the loss of some of those security features, but in the short term, I think it would be reasonable to lose some of that confidence in favor of providing services to the general public during the state's lockdown, which should be of short duration. Now that I think about it, requiring a signed statement could also allow the worker to compare the signature on the ID card and the statement, which would actually be another source of verification.
SSA has never accepted copies or faxes of documents because they want their employees to be able to evaluate the original/certified copy. And, as we know, SSA is not too swift in adapting due to COVID-19.
ReplyDeleteOther forms of ID are allowable for replacement social security cards such as health insurance cards, passports, etc, things one may be able to do without for a couple of weeks or where a copy (health ins card) may be sufficient for use elsewhere.
ReplyDeletePlus, most states one can request a replacement card via one's mySSA account.
This is a major problem. Someone trying to get a change to their Social Security card name and a new card during the pandemic has virtually no options. The SSA office is closed for business and they want to see an original State ID. Of course to be without an ID for weeks or even days is not a realistic option. Emergencies can arise where a person needs to show an ID and can't be without one, and a person can't drive without a license.
ReplyDelete@10:37 The vadt majority of the public could, if they so desired, establish a mySocialSecurity account and request the csrd online. Also, most people who visit our offices don't actually need a new card. These are the folks who recently misplaced their cards and are requesting a new one, even though they may go the rest of their lives without ever having to present it again.
ReplyDelete@9:46
ReplyDeleteRecently, everyone getting the Real ID, unless one has a Passport, must present their SSA Card. You are correct, Replacement SSA Card can be easily obtained online using my.SSA Account. Unfortunately, many are not computer literate, do not own a computer/smartphone, or are like my 80+ year old Dad, prefer to conduct all their business in person, detest using a phone, and do not own any device to access the Internet and plan to keep it that way.
In certain metropolitan areas Social Security Card issues for ALL card related matters have been centralized to Card Centers. Their recommendation is that when original documents are required that the number holder send their documents via a carrier that provides tracking , ie UPS or FEDEX , and INCLUDE a return envelope with tracking capability. Sure it is an additional expense , but would one rather pay for a replacement Naturalization Certificate , Passport , Drivers License or Alien Card. Seems like a good deal to me , and likely ensures same day processing when received.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said @ 2:37 PM, October 16, 2020 about "SSA is not too swift in adapting due to COVID-19" If not soo swift means mobilizing 40k employees to work virtually, suspending workloads that would otherwise result in a loss of healthcare and income security during a global pandemic for half a million beneficiaries, standing up an online app in 45 days for older workers suddenly unemployed to file for Part B in a special enrollment period, standing up another online app to reduce the burden of completing, signing and returning disability update forms issued to 1M beneficiaries, passing an overpayment regulation to apply the least burdensome process to those half a million beneficiaries who would have otherwise been harmed by the aforementioned policy, consulting with experts in state, local and community organizations to find ways of reaching those most vulnerable and at risk during this pandemic ... yes, SSA still needs original evidence to issue SSN cards and you can thank the Congress and the Agency for that security that protects the identities of 300 million people in this country. Yeah, if not too swift means turbo boosted, full throttle swift, yeah then that's us.
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