Did you ever wonder why your Social Security card was not laminated when issued?

 

By David McClelland

 

The US government mandated that all legal residents and citizens must have a valid Social Security card. The card is used by the IRS to track an individual's yearly earnings and the taxes owed. It is used by employers, among others, to assure that you are you.

 

My Social Security card ("card") has become quite worn over the years and I guessed that it hadn't been laminated when issued because that was back "in the olden days" and well before lamination was invented. I investigated and learned that the cards are still not laminated when issued and that there are valid reasons.

 

It turns out that our government placed several security features in our cards so that

it would be obvious if they have been tampered with. They wanted to make it impossible to make a counterfeit card. Laminating the card would hamper the government's ability to use these features.

 

The features are:

-       A blue tint marbleized random pattern. Any attempt to erase or remove data is detectable because the tint is erasable.

-       Small, multi-colored discs are randomly placed on the paper stock and can be seen with the naked eye.

-       Intaglio printing of the type used in US currency is used for some printing on the card and provides a raised effect that can be felt.

 

The government will replace your card free in case you lose it or if it becomes damaged for any reason, including because you decided to have it laminated before you learned that it isn't to be laminated.

 

In summary, you should not laminate your Social Security card and if you have done so before you read this, your government will give you a new one, identical to the original, at no cost to you.

 

For further details regarding our Social Security system, contact:

            http://www.ssa.gov/and Social Security Office Locator