Community Chat

[SydneyH]

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@bathina wrote:
This process disadvantages women, the elderly and the poor. Not good. Not good at all.

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How so? Identification is required for virtually everything in our country?

[new nickname 4]

My state is one that has complied with the read ID for a long time.  Thus my drivers license is approved as real ID, and when I renew it, I don't have to jump through hoops to do that because I already submitted proof when I first got my license.  If a new resident comes into the state, they need to supply the information, ie birth certificate etc.  As a rule, anyone who changes their name (marriage) need to get the name changed with the social security administration to file tax returns.  If you don't, your efile return is immediately rejected, I don't know the process with a paper return.

[Carmie]

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@suzyQ3 wrote:

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@Abrowneyegirl wrote:

@suzyQ3 

Do people update their name on their SS card?  This made me laugh because I do volunteer work with seniors that involves helping them apply for benefits online as many do not use/have computers.

I can say less than 50% of the women have SS in their current names.  Some even joke that they have been "_____" married name longer than they were 'maiden name' but they never changed their cards.  Some of these women are in their 90's

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Well, the laugh is on me, I guess @Abrowneyegirl . I never thought about or had a reason to update it. It has served me quite well until now. Good thing out of this is that I now have an official copy of my marriage certificate so that my husband can't claim it never happened. :-)

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When I got married over 46 years ago, I updated my name with the Social Security Administration. You need a SS with your proper name to get a job and to collect SS benefits as well as a real ID. This is not new.

I had an Aunt that always used a first name that wasn't on her birth certificate or on any other documentation.  She had a difficult time when she was 65 and wanted to go on Medicare and SS.  

She finally had to take her oldest sister to the SS office to vouch for her that she was given a name that was never used and she had to sign papers to that effect.

it is better to make sure all records are updated when there is a name change.

[Toppers3]

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@cotton4me wrote:

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@VanSleepy wrote:

I'm surprised that women are going for years and years without changing their names with SSA.   The IRS caught it  when the name on the tax return was not the same name associated with the given social security number.

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I was thinking the same thing.  When I got married I took a day off to do all the name changing.  I went to the SS office and the DMV to change everything.  

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I remember changing my card too, within weeks of just getting newly married. 

I don't remember how I knew that we were supposed to change it?

Since it has been many years now, I'm thinking that maybe it also had to do with me also doing job searches at the time, and maybe that's what made me think of changing it back then.

[VaBelle35]

The information was confusing for Virginia.

I did not have any recent utility bills, everythign is electronic, so I found something old from the government with a stamp on it for proof of residency.  I also brought the deed to my house.  They would no accept a printed out bill from the internet.

The front desk/information desk at our DMV reviews everything and hands you the form you need.  They accepted deed as proof, but when I got to the window to process my form, she had no idea what it was.  She asked me for something else, so I gave her the entire folder I brought with me and she could choose what she wanted to use for the proof of residency.

Bring everything you can with you just in case.

[CalminHeart]

I got my Real ID several years ago and thought it was easy as pie.  I took my SS card, recent water and electric bills, and my birth certificate and it took just a couple of minutes.

If someone doesn't have a social security card, it's easy to get another.  Look it up online and call the SS dept in your city or the national 800 line.  Doing that took longer than getting my Real ID since I was on hold for a little bit.  

That said, my Real ID didn't do anything for me when traveling internationally and in the US. 

[Abrowneyegirl]

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@SydneyH wrote:

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@bathina wrote:
This process disadvantages women, the elderly and the poor. Not good. Not good at all.

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How so? Identification is required for virtually everything in our country?

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How so? How does it not.

Women primarily are the ones that change their names upon marriage (and divorce)

Many elderly (not all) will have a more difficult time coming up with all the necessary paperwork and it may be a hardship making multiple trips to the ID center.

The poor will find the costs a barrier.

For example;

I paid $30 to renew my DL and it is $30 for Real ID, I also paid $120 to renew my passport as I was told it would expedite the Real ID.

So that is $180   I made a trip to the Real ID center only to be denied.  Now lucky for me I do not have to pay to have copies of any cards or marriage certificates made $$$  but many people do.

Now I have to return to the Real ID center and pay to have the DL renewed AGAIN $30 + $30 for the Real ID 

Now I am in for a total $240 plus the time and travel to the center.  

In 4 years I will have to renew the DL and the Real ID $60

Do you see the hardship for some?

Not all states are willy nilly handing them out.

@bathina is correct - it is NOT good.

[sunshine45]

in maryland it is $48 to renew or obtain your drivers license. it is good for 8 years.

[Abrowneyegirl]

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@sunshine45 wrote:

in maryland it is $48 to renew or obtain your drivers license. it is good for 8 years.

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How much is it to add the Real ID?

[bathina]

@Abrowneyegirl thanks so much for answering @SydneyH's question. Everything you have mentioned is exactly why I think this new "real"ID is discriminatory. If you cant afford to get one or cant afford/dont have transportation to collect all the docs proving you are who you say you are, you're basically relegated to never being able to fly (even in an emergency) or walk into a federal building (so visiting the white house or the Capitol building is out of the question). I think its a ploy to eventually limit the vote to white, rich MEN. I hope im wrong, but I dont see any other reason for enforcement of this ridiculous, biased law.