A Valid US BIrth Certificate is The New Rule of the Road for Many States

Has it happened in your state yet? More and more Department of Motor Vehicles or Bureau of Motor Vehicles offices around the country are requiring a certified copy of your birth certificate in order to issue a driver's license.

A recent case of this requirement involved a 73-year old man that was a U.S. Citizen, had served in the military and had lived for years in the state of Tennessee and had a valid driver's license from that state. Upon moving to Oregon he went to the local DMV and was denied a driver's license because he couldn't supply the proper documentation.

The new rules were put into place in many states to help screen out illegal aliens and prevent forgery and identity theft. And most states require two forms of identification. A passport or birth certificate along with a Social Security card would have enough information to establish identity and citizenship. Military documents are no longer valid proof.

If you don't already, make sure you have a certified copy of your birth certificate or round out your documentation by applying for a passport - you'll find you've cut through the red tape!

More States Adopting Proof of Citizen for Aid Stance

Recently a case happened that made headline news, a 38-year-old-woman was living in a homeless shelter with her teenage son and her three grandchildren all under the age of 4. She wanted to get out of the homeless shelter and correctly thought she could qualify for housing and food assistance from the state of Michigan. However there was only one hitch, the state required a birth certificate as proof of her identity and she didn't have it. She needed a copy of her birth certificate from another state and the ability to pay the fee, although small,when you're homeless even $10 can seem like a lot.

Michigan and Nebraska are both the only states that require proof of citizenship in order to provide benefits to citizens, the bill for the same requirements has passed in Missouri however it hasn't been signed into law yet. Other states currently allow individuals to sign affidavits of citizenship if they don't have a birth certificate, that ability is soon to be waning.

The proof of citizenship requirements are being promoted as a way to keep people who are in the country illegally from getting government assistance. However critics of the new system point out that many foreign U.S. residents are in the country legally but due to the process of taking weeks or in some cases months to get paperwork in order,some are so discouraged they either can't wait that long for help or others when hearing about the wait, simply don't apply.

A federal study last year showed that the number of people getting Medicaid coverage dropped in many states after the new requirement was put in place on the federal level. Advocates for the poor in Michigan say the same is happening now to welfare applicants in the state.

"People are not getting the help they need and they're eligible for," said Sharon Parks of the Michigan League for Human Services in Lansing. "It's not right."

The grandmother that needed her birth certificate in Michigan, got it and got the help she needed thanks to a women's group in Battle Creek, Michigan that raised the small fee for her birth certificate and helped her get the aid she needed.

In Nebraska, applicants must show a birth certificate or some other proof of citizenship to get food stamps, welfare payments, medical coverage for children and seniors who are disabled or blind, and for help paying energy bills.