Several months ago a young woman visited the Ombudsman Office seeking help in resolving a problem completing her Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The woman had been adopted in 2002, and her name was changed to that of her adoptive parents. She presented her Ohio State ID, on which the name was her adopted name. She also presented her Social Security card, which still had her birth name.
The young woman is having problems filing the FAFSA because her current name does not match the name on file with the Social Security Administration. The young woman needed the FAFSA completed in order to enroll in college. Her adoption was handled through the Children’s Services Division of the Montgomery County Job and Family Services. She was born in Georgia.
The Ombudsman provided instructions on the procedure to fix the problem by obtaining a Social Security card with her adopted name on it. First she needed to obtain a certified copy of the order for her name change from Probate Court. In order to obtain the order she would need two pieces of identification and a notarized statement. The Ombudsman also verified that the woman’s birth certificate with her adopted name was on file with the Georgia Bureau of Vital Statistics.
The young woman visited the Ombudsman Office a second time, during which the statement required by Probate Court was prepared and notarized. The young woman was also given the information about how to order a copy of her birth certificate from Georgia. A few weeks later the young woman presented all the information to the Social Security Administration, and her record was updated with the SSA. She could now complete the FASFA application.
THE OMBUDSMAN column, a production of the Joint Office of Citizens' Complaints, summarizes selected problems that citizens have had with government and social services, utilities, schools and nursing homes in the Dayton area. Contact the Ombudsman by writing to 11 West Monument Avenue, Suite 606, Dayton 45402, or telephone (937) 223-4613, or by electronic mail at ombudsman@dayton-ombudsman.org or our website at www.dayton-ombudsman.org.
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