My Identity has "Expired"!
by Carolyn Mounce, Certified Volunteer Ombudsman
From the Texas Department of Public Safety:
“A driver license is no longer used solely as a document demonstrating authorization to drive. The driver license or identification certificates are the nationally accepted form of identification and both are used daily to establish identity at airports, banks, when writing checks, voting, or applying for governmental aid.”
As people age, there comes a time when they must give up driving. This is not a step that is taken willingly. A vehicle is a reflection of the driver’s identity. It may be flashy, or practical. It may be old or new. It is certain that there is something in the interior that makes their vehicle unique.
When a person has to give up driving, they lose their identity by more than just loosing their car. They may think that they no longer need a driver’s license. A driver’s license has become the primary form of identification. If a license is allowed to expire, then the person’s identity “expires”.
There is a second form of ID available, a State Identification Card. This is used for identification the same as a driver’s license. State identification cards are issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety from the same offices as the driver’s licenses.
A person can hold both a State ID and a Driver’s License. This is important, because people don’t want to give up their Driver’s License. They don’t have to they just need to add a State ID.
The longer a person waits, after a driver’s license expires, the more difficult it becomes to get a replacement or a state identification card.
Currently, there is no easy way to convert a driver’s license to a state identification card. Application for a card must be made in person at a local driver’s license renewal office. (It is ironic to me, that the people who are least mobile and least able to deal with long lines, are required travel and stand in line to prove that they can no longer drive and need a state id card.)
The DPS offers a program called “Homebound”. This program needs to be renamed “Bedridden”. Not because of its inability to serve a need, but because of the people it serves. Only someone who is bedridden can request the “Homebound” identification application process. Wheelchairs, walkers, oxygen tanks, or geri chairs do not qualify for “Homebound”. Also, lack of transportation during DPS renewal office hours does not qualify for “Homebound”.
The need for an identification card is going to become more and more important. Voting is the primary thing that brought this issue to my attention, but hurricane evacuations, or FEMA assistance, cashing a check or making a credit card purchase requires identification. If a person needs to travel on an airplane, they will need identification. This problem encompasses the elderly and disabled that are in the community as well as those in facilities.
I DON’T WANT MY IDENTITY TO EXPIRE!
I am only going to focus on suggestions for Long Term Care (LTC) facilities, but keep in mind that there are thousands of elderly people in the community that depend on Meals-on-Wheels because they have no transportation
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If a person has a current driver’s license, or a driver’s license that is within two years of expiration, they can take their license to the local driver’s license renewal office and apply for a state id. NOTE: Getting a state ID does not mean that you are giving up your driver’s license! A current passport may be presented in lieu of a current driver’s license, but not many folks have a current passport.
If the driver’s license has been expired for over two years, then additional proof of identity is required. The most commonly available documents are a certified birth certificate and an original social security card and an original voter registration card. There are other forms of identification that can be used, but it is rare for someone in LTC to have a pilot’s license or a concealed handgun license.
When a person enters a facility, the facility should make a copy of the resident’s driver’s license or state id for their file. If the resident does not have a state id, then the facility should provide the resident and the responsible party information on how to obtain a state identification card and encourage them to do so as soon as possible. The facility should also assist in helping to find transportation to the closest DPS office.
A state id card, driver’s license, social security card and voter registration card should all be considered valuable and important documents. All facilities should offer some way to store these cards in a safe place to prevent loss or theft, so be sure and ask how these items are stored before releasing them to any staff members.
