Your SSN...

[Michael Tompkins]

Responding to the post about having your dogtags on your keychain and the possibility of identity theft because they display your SSN, it got me to thinking about that very same information on my old military paperwork. I still have all my paperwork from my time in the service. Last year, out of curiosity I was poking thru it all. My orders for reporting to my duty station not only had my SSN, but everybody else's that was processing thru the 21st Replacement Co. There must have been 30 other people on the same set of orders. I'm sure that my information is sitting in the dusty trunks of Lord knows how many other people's basements just waiting to be discovered and exploited...but what can one do? Mike

[joem]

Just checked my dogtags and all they have is my service number, no soc sec number.

[Michaelp]

In 1969 the serial number was retired and SSN was adopted.
Tags after that have the SSN,
I also have quite a lot of old orders with many SSNs on them.
Interesting subject.

[Nick Riviezzo]

This is the main reason many of us opposed the military going to SSN in place of our old service numbers.But, as usual, the pencil pushers won and we lost. Nick

[Griff Murphey]

Someone in the Philippines has my SSN and knows I am R Cath and B neg. I left my dogtags in my utilities... (fatigues...)

[C5M1]

Question along the same line..... Do you guys with the old service numbers use the last four at the vA or do they use your SS number? Just wonderin.


regards, dennis

[dave]

Actually it should have been against the law for the Serives to use your SS Number, unless you gave it to them! The law states that one Gov. Agency cannot get or use your SS Number w/o your permission. Oddly this does not include private buisness, thus a credit car company can and does demand your number or will not give you a card, that is legal.

[joem]

VA uses the SS# at check in.

[C5M1]

Thanks Joem, will wonder no more.


regards, dennis

[RED]

The V.A. used to use the last 4 digits of your SS #. Now you have to give them your entire 9 digit number. I was in the blood draw clinic when I heard the guy in the next chair give his number. As unlikely as it may be, his number was identical to mine except for 1 number. My last 4 were 75** and his was 74**. I can still remember my service number. It was 722540.

The really odd thing about my VA ID card is that it has my middle name on it. Odd because I do not have a middle name. I served in the military for 6 years on continous active duty. I didn't realize I had no middle name until 25 years later when I traveled to Canada and they required a notarized copy of my birth certificate. Hello!!! There is no middle name on my birth cirtificate!

Just another typical bureaucratic screw up. So now these same bureaurats are going to tell us when, how, and where we can see a doctor and some high school drop out bureaucrat is going to decide whether you receive the stent that will keep you alive.

Hello Gloria. I hope Tricare or Medicare will step up for you.... but I pray you have a supplemental insurance policy that actually pays benefits.

My Medicare supplemental policy did well when I went to the VA ER for chest pains. The bill was $5,500... the medicare supplement paid $17 to the VA. In the end I wound up getting quite a break and after the dust settled only was our $2,200 out of pocket

[DaveP]

RA & US service numbers were phased out in 1969. If you went in with an RA or US number it was changed to your SSN.

[Griff Murphey]

Just a question for those of you guys who use the VA. Is the VA able to provide care for all vets or do you have to be service- connected disabled or combat wounded? I'm 62 and this health insurance bit is getting nuts. I have a friend who is a retired MD pediatrician but he was combat wounded as a USMC doc in VN. He is getting all of his diabetic meds etc. How is the care?

[gwp]

From the VA site, a two question pre-test on eligibility:

http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/Library/tools/Quick_Eligibility_Check/index.asp

If you are eligible you will be assigned to a priority group.

http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/eligibility/PriorityGroupsAll.asp

If you think you will need VA health care apply before the current rules change.

I have received excellent care from the Indianapolis VA Hospital. Other VA clinics and hospitals may vary in the quality of care.

[JohnPeeff]

I had three(3) different service numbers all from the same army! First was my enlisted RA, went to OCS and got commissioned so new number and then they went to SS#. Still remember them all.

[PhillipM]

Responding to the post about having your dogtags on your keychain and the possibility of identity theft because they display your SSN, it got me to thinking about that very same information on my old military paperwork. I still have all my paperwork from my time in the service. Last year, out of curiosity I was poking thru it all. My orders for reporting to my duty station not only had my SSN, but everybody else's that was processing thru the 21st Replacement Co. There must have been 30 other people on the same set of orders. I'm sure that my information is sitting in the dusty trunks of Lord knows how many other people's basements just waiting to be discovered and exploited...but what can one do? Mike

Musty old documents are the least of your worries. I advise identity theft insurance.

http://articles.cnn.com/2009-01-27/politics/va.data.theft_1_laptop-personal-data-single-veteran?_s=PM:POLITICS

[blackhawknj]

I don't have the relevant regulations in front of me, but the SSN was transormed into the "Taxpayers Identification Number" in 1960 or so.

[Cosine26]

Hi,
When I was in the USAF, if you had no middle name, the USAF gave you one - "NMI" I served with an officer who had no names, only initials "H.L' as I remember. Don't think that did not mess things up.

[Michaelp]

For GP, the VA only uses the last four.
For bloodwork and minor surgery they ask for all of it plus your whole name.

I believe it is a small competency test or verification for procedures.

[C5M1]

Here they always ask for the last four, followed by them saying your name, and then asking for your birthday for a triple verification.

Must not be a standardized procedure.

regards, dennis

[Dan In Indiana]

I get pretty good service from the VMAC in Indianapolis, but the trick is getting the the doc at the clinic, where everything really gets started, to buzz Indy to get an appointment. On a trek now to get some work done, but the "doc" has ignored the problem [for over 2 years], so I got a referral from another doctor to a specialist, who I find out does contract work for the VA because they are so short handed in certain fields that he is called upon to do a lot of their work. Some test results got sent to the clinic, then got a call from the clinic to see if I wanted to go to Indy to for a consultation appointment. Really? Now will go to Indy for a consultation, which I'm confident will no doubt start out with the pill route to see if that works. As one nurse at Indy told me a while back, "you do realize that you're participating in socialized medicine don't you?" On the positive route, I flunked one of those colon tests with the Popsicle sticks, and the 1st colonoscopy took out 13 small polyps, but having enrolled in a study to try and find an alternative via blood tests, got my second one this spring finding 3 more, and scheduled for a third one next spring. Oh hallelujah! But gas money and 24 bucks for the prep was my only costs. Each year I get the physical, blood tests, digital prostate thing, more Popsicle sticks, and get a copy of test results from every test done [have to sign a paper to get them] . Getting a new clinic on line very soon [3 years in the making] and already have transferred there as soon as it opens. Hopefully things will get a little better as the present clinic is at their max, and will not accept any more enrolls. Did read while surfing the Net that a lot of VA facilities might be asked to accept "non VA" people in the future, now that will be interesting to say the least. Waits are bad enough the way it is now, but if "da po folk and undocumented immigrants" get to jump in line, a vet might have to get in the back of a very long line. I have found out one thing, if you are enrolled at the VA, you have to keep on them to get anything done that does not appear to be life threatening. In conclusion, the VA is understaffed, under equipped, and over worked but still manages pretty decent care [and cheap if you have a disability rating of at least 10%]. If you're eligible, get enrolled as fast as you can, bam bam care is coming in one form or another.

[Sarge]

The military began using the SSAN in 1968. I had to go in and get a new set of dog tags in about Juli, they had both my RA # and my SSAN. In Viet Nam in 69 I had tags with only my SSAN. Still have all 3 versions.
Sarge