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We adopted our kids about a month ago. I waited for the new birth certificates to come in, which happened faster than I thought they would. It came within 2 weeks of court. :banana:
A week ago I went into the SS office, ready to stand my ground to get a new card. By this I MEANT one with their new names and a new number. Person told me we should have it in 8-10 days. I couldn't believe it. :love:
Then today, we got it in the mail, only 6 or 7 days later. I open them up excitedly, sort of wondering why this was so easy when others have had such issues. While looking at the numbers I realize they are no where near in chronological order ... and something seems familar. Yup, they gave us new cards but the numbers weren't changed. :mad: Of course, it is 10 minutes past when our local office closes, so I called the national number. Have I made the chances for new numbers harder now that we just updated their cards with new names?
And yes, I am just a bit miffed, annoyed, down right angry that it didn't come with new numbers. I'm both mad at them and at myself. I asked for "new cards". Guess I should have spelled out exactly what that meant to me - cards with their new names AND NEW SS#'s.
Lesson learned, hope you can learn from my mistake. Now to see how the rest turns out.
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I called the 800 # for the Social Security Administration. Found the number on the back of paperwork I got in the mail today. Once I explained what I wanted I was told that I needed to go back to our local office and explain exactly what it was I had wanted and that it shouldn't be a problem at all to get them a new number. I was told that an adoption was considered an approved reason (though those exact words weren't used) to get a new number. She made it sound like it should be very easy.
When I asked what to do if I ran into problems, she said I shouldn't, that all I would need to do was explain what it was that I was wanting/needing.
This is a helpful brochure and has the 800# I mentioned: [URL="http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10023.pdf"]Social Security Numbers For Children[/URL]
Come to find out, the person on the phone at the SS office was wrong. I heard this phrase from both our office and my second call to the SS office, "It would take an act of congress to change a SS number."
While that isn't exactly true this is what I have found - you can change your number if you are:
1. part of the witness protection program
2. due to a bad domestic violence situation
You may also be able to change it due to "disadvantaged use", though changing your number may not completely stop the fruad that has happened. There are steps you have to take first and there is a time limit - the fraud has to have happened within the past two years, you need to have proof of 3rd party investigation, and a police report. If this is the case, the person suggested I call the FTC first as they deal with fraud where as the SS office is more concerned with the money you make, not who is misusing your number. :rolleyes:
I took notes and will be keeping them for the future. I also am going to add the kids to the 3 times a year credit checks I do for us. The agency was supposed to do credit checks on the kids while they were in their care. I'm assuming nothing odd was found, as there was nothing mentioned. But you never know.
I tried to have our child's number changed twice, and both times I was told it wouldn't be a problem. However, both times we got a new card with the old number. Social Security sent us a letter stating that we could only change the number if we had proof it had been used fraudulently--even though we had a court order to have it changed.
We also had issues changing our daughters SS#. We were told the child knew she was adopted so we couldn't. So I asked to speak to a person at the desk and brought in the domestic violence charges and her file and still it was a NO. I think it's wrong and any child adopted should be allowed the choice to change the SS#. It's not safe if the bioparents already have it and they are criminals.
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