4 ms·

> Heck my owns wife’s birthday is wrong. By a few days. We inquired about it and were told to just go with it. Multiple years of effort would be required to fix

by OldHand2018 6y ago

> Heck my owns wife’s birthday is wrong. By a few days. We inquired about it and were told to just go with it. Multiple years of effort would be required to fix it. The US Social Security Administration? It took me years to get the IRS to tell me why they were rejecting my electronic tax return filings. Once I found out it was the birthdate on file with the SSA, it took less than 5 minutes to fix at the SSA office in the nearest federal building (which was conveniently across the street from my work office at the time). Perhaps it is very challenging or impossible at the benefits offices that are in just about every city and town across the US. If you don't live in a big city with a complex of federal offices, maybe next time you go to one bring along a bunch of documents and get it done.

protomyth 6y ago
Its interesting, because I got the impression that unlike a lot of Federal offices, the Social Security Administration doesn't automatically thing they're right. They are touchy if money is involved, but basic fact correction seems to work fine in person if you bring the basic documents with you.
- OldHand2018 6y ago
  There are hundreds of thousands of living Americans older than the SSA! Think about all the people that never had birth certificates because they were born at home or in a poor rural hospital, or the side of a road, etc. My sister's "official" birth certificate is a letter from the US embassy (in a country that no longer exists), telling the state department of the birth of a US citizen abroad, to an active duty serviceman. Real data is messy, and theirs is especially so.
  - anitil 6y ago
    There were also some exemptions for the need for social security numbers so it's possible they could need one at some point. (from memory this only applies to grandfather in groups like the Amish who are also required to provide their own form of 'definitely-not-social-security')

protomyth 6y ago

Its interesting, because I got the impression that unlike a lot of Federal offices, the Social Security Administration doesn't automatically thing they're right. They are touchy if money is involved, but basic fact correction seems to work fine in person if you bring the basic documents with you.

OldHand2018 6y ago
There are hundreds of thousands of living Americans older than the SSA! Think about all the people that never had birth certificates because they were born at home or in a poor rural hospital, or the side of a road, etc. My sister's "official" birth certificate is a letter from the US embassy (in a country that no longer exists), telling the state department of the birth of a US citizen abroad, to an active duty serviceman. Real data is messy, and theirs is especially so.
- anitil 6y ago
  There were also some exemptions for the need for social security numbers so it's possible they could need one at some point. (from memory this only applies to grandfather in groups like the Amish who are also required to provide their own form of 'definitely-not-social-security')