There are times when you understand why Americans think their government is run by incompetent imbeciles. Today, I witnessed proof.
A friend, who is a veteran, who has been living off the grid- so to speak, is coming back into society. I’ve been helping him get things in order.
Today, he got a car. The Title bureau asked for ID- he presented his VA ID- and the transfer was made.
Head over to the license bureau, present same ID. Nope. A federal, photo ID with anti-copying technology, not acceptable.
His Social Security card? Sure that’d be fine- except she called his a “Stub”- not the ID. It had his number, his signature, and his name.
He has a micro copy of his DD-214- but, we couldn’t find the SSN. And, remember- the promise that your SSN was “never to be used for identification purposes”- yeah right.
So, here is the form she handed him for a “valid and acceptable ID”- it includes an “Employer ID Card with photo” a W2 (hey, I’m an employer- I can make these things up all day long)- and wait- a “Motor Vehicle Title”- which we handed her.
A CCW license is acceptable- as is a credit card- but a VA ID is not.
It’s time for a congressional investigation, threaten to shut down the government, c’mon Mike Turner- you’re pro-veteran, get to work.
Maybe if the BMV offices weren’t run by political party cronies, we wouldn’t have these problems.
Here’s the official BMV form 2424 [1]. Read it and weep.
WTF!!!
I wrote the post.
My friend called the governors office.
The Governors office called the State BMV- the state BMV followed up-
He got a call this morning asking him to fax over the ID and the SS “Stub”-
and voila- the “stub” is now legit.
Just like that. Still nothing about the VA card being OK.
Bureaucracies eventually become all-powerful and all-enveloping, using the complexity of their rules, policies, guidelines and regulations to confer omnipotence upon the bureaucrats that feed them. All bureaucracies (especially those named with 3 letter acronyms) should be periodically consumed by fire, while we (the oppressed) dance joyfully, illuminated by the flames of the burning forms and files.
David – GOOD FOR YOU for helping this vet “get things in order”. This is a perfect example that although you can be a major PITA to a lot of people a lot of the time – your heart is generally in the right place. Although I understand your frustration, I think it’s a stretch to call the DMV anti-vet over this. The bots behind the counter at the local DMV office have a list of what’s “acceptable” and the VA ID is not on that list. Should it be? Probably. But I’m going to give the people in Columbus the benefit of the doubt and say that it was an oversight and not a purposeful act. I would suggest writing a NICE, POLITE letter to your local State Representatives copying the head of the DMV asking that they add this Federal Identification Card to the list of acceptable documents for the DMV. It should be a no-brainer for them, but there’s a chance that it might have to go through the legislature so it might not happen overnight. Since this is a State issue, trying to get Turner involved probably won’t do any real good. Yes – he could voice his support and, if it were anyone but you asking for it, he probably would. I’m now reminded of an old saying about birds coming home to roost. ;) It’s too bad that the people at the local DMV offices are not allowed to use their brains on stuff like this. Several months ago I had to get my drivers license replaced after my wallet went missing. I called the closest office to me where I go to renew plates, my license, etc. I was giving a list of acceptable documents that included a W-2 (which I could print myself if I wanted to). I took my W-2, went up to the counter and…. They wouldn’t take it because my driver’s license includes my middle initial; the W-2 did not. Sheesh!! I told them that they were anti-fat-gray-haired-guy since they wouldn’t take it!! What really gets me is that… Read more »