That is until this past Monday. I gathered all my documents including her ginormous folder with her entire file from CPS, her adoption decree, and her new birth certificate with none other than yours truly as mother, and found the courage to go down to fight the good fight. I'd heard so many stories of social security office workers not cooperating in issuing a new number that I really didn't want to deal with the hassle. Unfortunately our tax situation has become extremely complicated and to fix it I need to get her name changed on her card, and so the journey began.
The first office the website directed mie to was in a really bad part of town. The second was 35 miles away. I was sure there was a closer one in a neighborhood where I had a better chance of surviving and sure enough after a little digging and playing with the tool I found the best of both worlds. After a short drive I found myself sitting in the waiting room with all of 3 other people ahead of mie. Yet another reason we love Texas instead of California.
I was nervous sitting in that waiting room and when I got called out of the special waiting area to the main lobby I was even more worried that I would find one of the dreaded naysayers rather than a helpful, friendly face.
"I need your identification and your daughter's"
"Will the birth certificate work? I forget which one is the identification. The adoption decree?"
I start to hand it to her...
"The adoption decree will work, or the immunization record, or (insert 10 more things here)".
"Uh that's ok - here's the adoption decree."
After answering lots of questions and giving her more support she asked the critical questions I was waiting for:
"Does she know she's adopted?"
"Are either of her adoptive parents her step-parent? Grandparent?"
Then some more documentation and more typing on her end.
Then she asked two more important questions:
Do you realize the information you are providing will be used to obtain a new social security card for your daughter?
Under penalty of perjury do you attest that the information you are providing is accurate to the best of your knowledge?
Then she gave mie my receipt and said:
"Because you answered no on those questions (the first two) your daughter will be getting a new social security number."
And that was it! No arguing, fighting, or hopping from window to window to find a helpful individual.
I thanked her profusely.
I should get her card in 2 weeks, they said. We'll see if it actually has a new number...
I'm linked up today with Thankful Thursday at a Punk, a Pumpkin, and a Peanut. Come and join the fun!
7 comments:
Wait...your child can't know they are adopted if you want them to get a new SS#?
We have been told that when we adopt Pie to answer "no" to every question regardless and to point out, if needed, that the child's mother has claimed her on her taxes past 2 years depsite the fact she was not in her care.
I have figured out after two attempts that since my older two know they are adopted they will not give me a new number. After our tax stuff with the bio parents claiming our two is cleared up I will be going back to fight the fight for new numbers.
There are actually 2 different ways to get a new ssn. First, if your child was adopted they can get one UNLESS the child knows they are adopted, were adopted by relatives, have worked in the past, or are collecting SS benefits. So, they ask those questions when you apply because your child was adopted and if you answer no they should give you a new number. I brought the notices from the social security website with me so that I had it to hand to her in case she said I couldn't have a new number.
The second way to get a new one is in the case of domestic violence/abuse. If for some reason my child couldn't qualify as an adopted child I would take the position that with termination of parental rights the judge felt that the child was in danger enough to grant TPR and therefore the child needs a new SSN. You have to prove domestic violence or abuse, but again I would venture to say that the judge's order would be sufficient. In our case the adoption decree stated the judge's approval for us to pursue a new SSN. He didn't have the authority to grant that request but supposedly it would have helped if we had troubles.
We have the judge put the request in there as well... Along with restraining order type wording. I've never had to use it, but nice to know I have it!
We just got Cash's and I went to the office in Denton. I did Stone's in Dallas and it was a MUCH bigger hassle!
Very, very cool. Cara from Carina's:)
I wish there was a "like" button here. ;-)
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