Establishing an age of a card applicant is a separate issue from showing a birth certificate. The Social Security Administration has a right to establish an age for a card holder or someone wishing to collect benefits. This can be established in many different ways...a family Bible, a note from a parent or sibling or other relative, or, as in my husband's case, military enlistment papers from when he was a young man (military enlistment accomplished with a note from his parents establishing his age at the time of enlistment). This same military form was used in order to calculate his Social Security benefits when he retired, and in order to add money on to his benefit amount for his military service. These are legally acceptable ways of establishing age. Keep in mind, my husband was born in Canada, and all of his paperwork reflects that fact. As a former Social Worker, with a target population of elderly and disabled clients, I dealt with these Social Security issues every day. The Social Security Administration is moving towards requiring a birth certificate in order to receive a Social Security card (but you don't HAVE to be a US citizen!), and someday in the future will probably also require a birth certificate for the purpose of collecting benefits. But that policy is not currently in place. Written policy states you do NOT have to have a birth certificate in order to collect benefits...otherwise my own husband wouldn't be collecting his benefits either! When I was doing Social Work for a State Agency, I routinely dealt with these Social Security issues. A large portion of our elderly and disabled population do not have birth certificates, and none was ever issued for them. This did not produce a stumbling block in their receiving their Social Security or SSI benefits, nor should it. You would be very surprised at the high percentage of our aged population for whom no birth certificate exists. The Social Security Administration has a written policy stating that a birth certificate is not required for the purpose of collecting benefits. (Neither do you have to be a citizen!) They usually establish your age when you apply for a Social Security card, so normally this would already be done long before it comes time to collect benefits...but I am sure some people fell through the cracks back in those early days. If that is the case, they will be required to show something that establishes that they are 62 or older in order to collect their retirement benefits....that is only reasonable...but it certainly does NOT have to be a birth certificate! There is nothing preventing someone from showing their birth certificate in order to establish age...but it is NOT REQUIRED. Anyone who has, or has had, a different experience should file a complaint on the offending office so Washington can bring them into compliance with the Administration's written policy on the matter. For anyone who was initially turned down for lack of a birth certificate, then later received their benefits in another jurisdiction, they are entitled to retroactive benefits to the date they first applied but were denied. These are your rights, people....exercise them! Anne > > I believe your explanation is a very good one, and the more I think > about it, very accurate. > > I can remember my step grandfather having difficulty collecting social > security. I think they ended up using a family bible to establish a > birth date. > > > You may not need a birth certificate in order to get a > card but you (in some counties) need a birth > certificate in order to collect SS. >