Various types of acceptable proofs of age and the places to secure them are listed below. If you are unable to obtain one of these documents, you should contact the nearest office of the RRB. The people there will be glad to assist you.
Older records are generally considered the best records. Try to secure evidence made at or near the time of your birth. Any document to be used for proof of age must show the person's name, age, or date of birth, and preferably, the date on which the record was established. Any document submitted as proof of age or date of birth must be based on a record that was established more than 5 years before the date on which you filed an application for an annuity or Medicare coverage with the RRB.
The best proofs of age include:
- a civil record of your birth, which can be secured from the Bureau of Vital Statistics in the state capital of your state of birth;
- the church record of your birth or baptism, which can be secured by contacting the church where you were baptized or confirmed;
- notification of registration of birth, which can be secured by contacting the county or city Health department in the city or county in which you were born; or
- the hospital birth record or certification.
Churches usually do not destroy their records and if there was a record of your date of birth made when you were an infant or a child, it is probably still on file at the church. Even if the church building is no longer in existence, the records may be available at a diocesan, state, or regional office of the denomination.
Our field offices have a complete list of addresses and fees for public birth records in the United States and in many foreign countries. Call or write the nearest field office to find out where to write and how much to send to obtain your birth record.