Letter to Commissioner Saul - Hill, Womack, Crawford, Westerman Request Change of Social Security Administration Policy Harming Arkansans
Letter
Dear Commissioner Saul,
We write to request that you alter a policy of the Social Security Administration (SSA) that forces my 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.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, the SSA is remote-only in Arkansas. Since the SSA requires that a driver's license be presented to apply for a replacement Social Security card, SSA officials in Arkansas are requiring individuals to mail their drivers licenses in for processing. While we appreciate the need for caution to protect employees, this requires my constituents to spend weeks without a driver's license or identification, which is not only inconvenient but in Arkansas it is also illegal to drive without a license on your person. Below are examples of real-life implications of this policy:
A constituent married in Summer 2020 needs a Social Security card updated with her married name. She was required to submit the updated card to start her new job as a teacher.
A grandmother recently adopted her grandkids, which changed the children's names. The grandmother must have Social Security cards with the children's updated names for ARKids insurance renewal. Without the updated Social Security cards, the children will not have health insurance.
A recently naturalized U.S. citizen submitted his documents for a new Social Security card to reflect his citizen status. He provided his driver's license and naturalization certificate and received his Social Security card; however, the SSA office lost his driver's license and naturalization certificate. The SSA office told the constituent that they cannot track the documents and he must reapply for a naturalization certificate, which costs $500.
We ask that you find a workaround to this problem to ensure Arkansans are not further burdened.
Sincerely,
French Hill
Member of Congress
Rick Crawford
Member of Congress
Bruce Westerman
Member of Congress
Steve Womack
Member of Congress
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