Rights & Benefits Information
Don’t Get Caught Without These Documents Do you have a certified copy of your birth certificate? How about a copy of your
handle, even if it was as simple as opening an account with a new bank, is on hold until you can produce a valid Arizona ID from the MVD because you finally got your birth certificate and could prove who you are. In another circumstance, a man just lost his spouse who was the higher wage earner of the two. He now needs to go to Social Security to claim his spouse’s Social Security benefits but to do that he must prove that they were legally married for more than ten years. In this case he needs to have a copy of his marriage license and his spouse’s death certificate. Having those documents available when he first speaks to Social Security can expedite the receipt of that most important Social Security check. A couple has been living in the same home for 40 years. They’ve always lived modestly and though their Social Security benefits together are just under $1800 per month they’ve worked hard to tuck a small amount of money into savings in the case of an emergency. Recently their air conditioner broke and they had to use everything in their savings plus almost an entire months’ worth of their monthly Social Security benefits to cover the cost of a new unit. Several months later they are significantly behind on their electric bill and they worry that it will get turned off. They contact PCOA and learn that they are eligible to receive LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) benefits but are dismayed to learn that they need several documents in order to complete their application. This could delay the processing of their application by weeks. (LIHEAP eligibility requires a picture ID; the applicant’s social security number; a copy of the mortgage payment
or property tax statement to verify property ownership, or rental agreement if a renter; copy of utility bill/s; income verification documents; documentation of impending utility shut-off; and in a life- threatening crisis a document about how the resident’s health could be impacted by loss of utilities.) A single 62-year-old woman is also seeking help with public benefits. She was injured on the job and is now no longer able to work. She was forced to take her Social Security earlier than she would have liked because the benefit is much smaller than if she’d been able to wait. She now struggles every month to pay her bills. She has learned that she’s eligible for LIHEAP, LIHWAP (Low Income Home Water Assistance Program), SNAP (food stamps), and Medicaid for her health insurance. Ten years ago, she changed her name on a whim and learned that she needs to present the documentation of that name change (as well as the same documents listed in the previous scenario) in order to pursue these benefits. She can’t find the papers anywhere and now must order a copy and is unsure how long that will take. Will they come in time for her to pay her bills and become eligible for the programs she truly needs? If you don’t have a certified copy of your birth certificate, please consider requesting a copy now. Each state has a Vital Records Department that can guide you through the best way to purchase a copy. It is easy now to order a certificate online (Arizona uses https://www. vitalchek.com/vital-records/arizona) and provided you’re not in a hurry can also do
marriage license, or even divorce decree? Have you formally changed your name through the courts and if so, do you have a copy of that documentation? Do you have your Social Security card or an award letter verifying your benefit status? (By the way, it’s not a good idea to keep your Social Security card in your purse or wallet in the event it’s stolen.) These are all documents we might not think much about on a day to day basis. But if you don’t have them handy these are the documents that could stall a much-needed bank transaction or application for public benefits. The following are just a couple of scenarios that could result in your need to have some of these documents. You moved to Arizona several years ago and your out-of-state driver’s license expired quite a while back. You don’t drive any longer, so you didn’t think twice about it. You go to your bank to handle a big transaction; they ask for ID and won’t accept your expired license from Nebraska. You must have a current Arizona Driver’s License or ID. You then go to the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) to get your new ID but are told they can’t give you an ID because your license is expired. And down the rabbit hole you go. To get the ID that is standing between you and your important bank transaction, you now need to obtain a certified copy of your birth certificate. This can take anywhere from a week to more than a month to receive. In the meantime whatever transaction you needed to
(continued on next page)
March 2023, Never Too Late | Page 11
Pima Council on Aging
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online