Name Changes: Social Security Card And Texas Driver'S License Are: Fill & Download for Free

Getting married probably one of my favorite things I’ve done so far. But it does come with one hassle that is beyond frustrating.Why? Because it deals with the government both U.S. and Texas.You see when we got married I decided to change my name. Which means I’ve been working through the hassle of changing my name in various legal areas. Pro tip: when changing your name ladies, be sure to do social security first.Why? Because social security won’t take a copy of your drivers license. In fact they won’t take any copies. All original documents required.Social security was pretty quick which was surprising because social security offices here aren’t fast. I had all my documents I needed and I got my corrected name on my card within the correct time frame.After social security was drivers license. This was probably the worst. I stood outside in the Texas heat, 99% humidity, 95° with heat index (what it feels like) of 110°. I’ve never sweat so much in my life from standing still. By the time I got into the building it had been more than 1 hour and I was dizzy. I felt queasy from heat exhaustion.Then they wanted to take my pic for a new license. *rolls eyes* *photo snapped* *thinks, oh crap*Thankfully after the long wait I did have the right documents.Next was university ID which wasn’t so bad except my name had to be changed in the university system first. I just finished a 5 week class and now I’ve started a 4 week class and so between those 2 summer semesters they changed my name.The whole system is electronic right? Should be super easy right? Because by now I have a new social security card, the magic marriage license which cures all. And a paper drivers license.Wrong. It took them all week to change my name. the only part of the name change process that didn’t work was the blackboard site. Thankfully I was able to get that new ID anyway.Blackboard is an online school website. Our grades are on there and professors use it for assignments, discussions, emails, announcements etc. It’s very important but this one site wasn’t converted to my new name. So I couldn’t get on it for days.I was emailing blackboard and finally the day my class started it was fixed.You may ask, why did you change your name in such a short period of time. What was the rush? The rush was my state funding and my internship in August as a student teacher. (Oh, I need to get that new ID for my elementary campus).You see for my state funding all my names have to match. I can’t let one name be different Or else I won’t get my state funding. Well, actually it is a tuition waiver for my former time in foster care. But it’s important and the reason why I am debt free.All this to say, it’s been frustrating and quite the process. So, if you’re getting married. Make sure to change your name if you choose.. in the correct order. Social security is always first.

It was a day like any other; I was going about my daily routine when the phone rang. I had been washing dishes, and grabbed a dishtowel to wipe my hands. Moments later, I found myself on the kitchen floor, dizzy, the dishtowel unconsciously stuffed into my mouth to stifle my sobs. My life was forever changed in that instant.The caller was my oldest daughter. She said, “Mom? I have something to tell you. Uncle Dale is missing.” I listened as she told me that a massive search had been initiated when he had not returned from a short solo hike…on a well marked and paved path. He had been missing for two days. Nobody thought to call me, and his children were already out in Colorado, waiting anxiously for some kind of news.“Uncle Dale” is my brother. We were very close as children and stayed that way as adults. He visited my home often, sometimes daily, and we spent hours sitting and talking, sharing laughter and sometimes tears, as we talked about everything under the sun. Dale was a bright spot in my life, my advocate during my troubled marriage, my best friend. I could count on him to always be honest, sometimes brutally so, but I always knew where I stood with him. I rescued him from some shit, and he did the same for me. We were tight… “thick as theives”.Dale and his wife were on vacation with my parents. Traveling in our folks motorhome, they had pointed the vehicle toward the west and set out from Texas to see some of the National Forests and Parks. Three days in, the motorhome developed a glitch; it would take a day to get the parts. Rather than sit around in a parking lot for a whole day, they decided to make un unplanned side trip out to Mesa Verde. It was a three hour drive, and Dale was enthralled by the sight of old cliff dwellings in the sides of mountains. Once in the park, he decided to visit the SpruceTreeHouse, which was a short 10–15 minute hike away, down a steep, paved path. He promised to be back within an hour. He never returned.Two hours after his departure, my mother sent out the alarm; she knew deep inside that something was very wrong. There was a quick search, then darkness fell, but the rangers assured my parents that nobody had ever gone missing more than a few hours before they found their way back, or they were located. The next day the search started in earnest. There were over a hundred people on foot, scouring the trails and mountain sides. There were ATV’s, people on horseback, search and rescue dog teams, helicopters, and even a FLIR equipped jet that zoomed around the mountains, searching for Dale. The search lasted a week and was scaled back, then abandoned. My family came home broken and in disbelief that our Dale was out there somewhere, far from home, all alone in the wilderness, very likely dead.And so began our vigil. Days turned into weeks, weeks to months, and soon a year had passed with no word. There was not one clue to the reason for his disappearance; it was as though he literally vanished. Over the years, the parks people got tired of hearing from family and basically told us they had more important things to do than search for our missing loved one. It was a bitter pill to swallow.Dale’s disappearance struck a heavy blow to my family. We are just your basic, average, everyday, downhome people. Nothing like this had ever happened to us. We couldn’t fathom what had happened, and the not knowing ate at all of us. My mother could barely speak for a year, she was like a zombie, and I was afraid she would die from a broken heart. People far and wide heard our story, it was investigated and written about and a google search brings up all kinds of articles about his disappearance. His friends reached out to me with words of comfort, and also the never ending unanswered questions kept coming for years.And then, On September 17, 2020, the family was notified that Dale’s remains had been found by anonymous off-trail hiker who had left a note for the park rangers, and who had also contacted the media, in case the parks people didn’t take the note seriously. He gave a vague indication of where the remains were, which gave the rangers a starting place to look. The rangers and the coroner hiked for about two and a half hours, and found the intact skeletal remains of my brother under a “lone” tree at the bottom of a canyon. The skeleton was completely intact, not scattered about, and there were still clothes on the bones and shoes on the feet. His possessions were all with him; his phone, cigarettes, lighter, and his wallet containing his Texas drivers license and credit cards and social security card in his name. The clothing was not ripped or torn and a forensic anthropologist examined the bones and determined that for over seven years, my brother’s remains were left alone. It appeared that he sat down and leaned against the tree, and died there. Amazing that his body wasn’t disturbed at all in all those years. Wild animals are abundant in those mountains. But there was not a bone missing, nor a mark on any of them. The skull still sat on the neck. How is this even possible? It only added to the mystery.Dale’s widow received his skeletal remains. She had them cremated and there was a visitation service, and funeral with a private burial afterward. Dale was laid to rest on his property, under a huge ancient oak tree, the one where he had always insisted he wanted to rest under for eternity.Having my brother back has given me some closure. I still cry nearly every day, when I think of my brother. My life is not the same, and I am not the same. I’ve made some improvements in my life, and I know Dale would be proud. I miss hearing his laughter and his encouraging words, but I do have so, so many memories.“I’ll see you in Heaven, Bro, when it’s my turn to go, so save a seat for me, I’ll be looking for you.”

If you memorize your number you’ll rarely need the card itself — only when you get a new job and have to show it to your employer. If you really must replace your card, go to www.socialsecurity.gov/ssnumber before visiting your local Social Security office.You will need a U.S. driver’s license, a state issued non-driver identification card, or a U.S. passport to prove your identity. Sometimes you may also need to prove your current U.S. citizenship or lawful non-citizen status with a birth certificate or passport.All documents must be either originals or copies certified by the issuing agency. We can’t accept photocopies or notarized copies of documents.After you have gathered all the necessary paperwork, print the Application for a Social Security Card, and fill it out. Then bring or mail your application and original documents to us (they will return your original documents once they have reviewed them). You can locate your local office here: SSA Office Locator Social Security Office LocatorIf you already have an online my Social Security account go there first. Simply access your account and follow the instructions to replace your Social Security card. It’s safe, convenient and secure.Requirements to request replacement Social Security card online if you:Are a U.S. citizen age 18 or older with a U.S. mailing address (this includes APO, FPO, and DPO addresses);Are not requesting a name change or any other change to your card; andHave a driver's license or a state-issued identification card from one of the following:Arizona;Arkansas;California;Delaware (driver's license only);District of Columbia;Florida;Idaho;Illinois;Indiana;Iowa;Kentucky;Maine;Maryland;Massachusetts;Michigan;Mississippi;Nebraska;North Dakota;New Mexico;Pennsylvania;South Dakota;Texas;Virginia;Washington; orWisconsin (driver's license only).You can replace your Social Security card for free if it’s lost or stolen. If anyone wants to charge you for a replacement card, walk away, they are free from the Social Security Administration. The best place to get information about Social Security is from Social Security.Never laminate your Social Security Card. It is printed on security, currency grade paper which helps confirm its authenticity.Note: You are limited to three replacement cards in a year, and 10 during your lifetime not counting legal name changes like if you got married or changed your name.