Stopping use of Social Security numbers by state may not be easy

Talk about it

It won’t be as easy as it sounds to stop using people’s Social Security numbers as IDs for government benefits.

Last week, Gov. Jim Doyle told state agencies to stop identifying program recipients by their Social Security numbers.

But about 90 people who get benefits from both Medicare and Medicaid will continue to have those numbers used to identify them.

That’s because the state must use the Social Security numbers when consulting with the affected federal agency.

Also, the Department of Workforce Development is looking for a way to use different numbers for those applying for unemployment benefits.

But that’s a national program which uses Social Security numbers so the state may not be able to get around it.

The concern arose after three mass mailings in the last 18 months, in which the state and its contractors put Social Security numbers on the outside address labels thus raising the risk for identity theft.

For those only on Medicaid, they’re expected to get new ID numbers this fall, when a new computer system is now scheduled to go online.

About 900,000 recipients will get cards with their new numbers. Meanwhile, the state will continue to ask for Social Security numbers, even if they don’t use them as identifiers.

The DNR needs them to check if hunting and fishing license applicants are behind on their taxes or child support.

Tags: wisconsinnews, socialsecurity, numbers, mailings