DoD to Remove SSN from All ID Cards
The Department of Defense (DoD) recently announced they are removing Social Security Numbers from all DoD issued ID cards in an attempt to make them more secure and help prevent identity theft. In my opinion, this move is long overdue, and was the subject of an article I wrote about how military members are prime targets for identity theft.
New guidelines regarding the issuing of DoD ID Cards.
The new process for issuing DoD identification cards will eventually phase out the requirement for printing SSN’s on DoD ID Cards, including ending the requirement to enter SSN information in the bar codes of CAC cards. This change will affect all DoD ID card holders, including active duty military members, members of the Guard and Reserve, family members, retirees, contractors, and anyone else who receives a DoD ID card. As part of the directive, SSNs should not be relied on as a unique ID number.
These changes are being made by the Department to protect the identity information of cardholders. Changes to ID cards will occur when the cardholders’ expired cards are renewed.
Three phase removal of SSNs from DoD ID cards
The removal of SSNs will occur in three phases, all of which will occur when DoD ID cards are renewed (do not go to the Pass and ID section at your base and request a new card solely to get your SSN removed, they will probably not do it).
- Phase One: Remove Dependent SSNs To begin by end of calendar year 2008
- Phase Two: Remove printed SSNs from all cards* To begin by end of calendar year 2009
- Phase Three: Remove SSNs embedded in barcodes To begin during calendar year 2012
Removal of SSNs from DoD Retiree cards
DoD issued retiree cards usually have an indefinite expiration date. The earliest you will be able to replace your DoD issued retiree card for one without your SSN will be January 2010, as the priority will be to get active duty military members cards replaced first.
Additional information:
DoD card renewal locations: Updated DoD identification cards without the owner SSN will be issued at over 1,500 RAPIDS ID card centers worldwide. Visit the RAPIDS Site Locator to find a DoD ID card renewal location near you.
Required items: Be sure to bring two forms of identification, including at least one state or federal photo ID.
For more information call you local Pass & ID center or the nearest RAPIDS Site.
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March 26th, 2009 at 10:29 am
This is a great change that the government is making especially for members of the military who are punished by a spouse losing ID cards with the sponsor’s social on it!
March 26th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Hank: I think it’s an excellent program and should have been done twenty years ago. I think military members should get a unique military ID number, which could be used instead of using social security numbers on every form imaginable. When I was living in the dorms and eating in the chow hall, we were required to write our full SSN on a sheet of paper which was left out in the open. I still don’t know how my ID was never stolen.
March 26th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Ryan: You’re right. The military should bring back serial numbers like our grandfathers had in WWII that have nothing to do with your finances.
September 16th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
The SSN has been a joke for over 30 years. Everybody wanted to get your SSN to control you and it ended up slapping everybody in the face. Some states like Virginia and Washington, D. C. required you to place your SSN on your drivers license until someone got smart and filed a class action suite reminding them that it was a privacy act. Now isn’t that funny? The trick is to maintain One world order and they are constantly trying to figure out how to proceed. Take another look at your bank statement and even though it has been changed from one bank to another, you have the same account number. I realized after about 8 years and the banks changing hands, that I had the same account number for over 20 years. Now isn’t that a kick in the head? You see the SSN is not the only set of numbers controling people.