One of the things that has confused me for some time is why the SSA still requires a trip to the local office in order to obtain a replacement Social Security Card. Don’t misunderstand, I am aware that this is done primarily for the protection of the public. There are very real threats of identity thieves. That said, the argument that only way to protect someone’s Social Security number was to require them to wait for an hour at the local office always seemed off. Now it seems like the SSA finally agrees. A recent federal contract notice has announced that the SSA is developing a program to get replacement cards online. From the notice:
SSA is developing an Internet-based Social Security Number (SSN) Replacement Card (iSSNRC) application to improve service to the public.
iSSNRC will allow U.S. citizens who meet certain criteria to request replacement SSN cards online by completing an application and providing data from their U.S. State-issued drivers' licenses (DL) or U.S. State-issued identification (ID) cards as evidence of identity. SSA then needs to electronically verify that the DL or State ID card information entered matches the data on the issuing State's database for the document being verified.
This will be a good, small step in making the SSA work better for the public.
