"Unidentified"

Texas Standard
05/1/2020

When you hear about someone in the United States without documentation, you may think of an immigrant. It seems almost inconceivable that an American would struggle to secure their birth certificate, Social Security card, or state identification. But it happens – and it happens most often to some of the state’s most vulnerable children – those in the foster care system. If you don’t have an ID then you can’t get a Social Security card. In order to get an ID you need a birth certificate, but you can’t get a birth certificate without another form of ID like a Social Security card. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services or DFPS, is legally required to ensure that all children in foster care receive a birth certificate, a Social Security card, and a state identification card, by the time they are 16 years old. Caseworkers request these documents on behalf of children, and DFPS has ( Courtesy of Tymothy Belseth C eligibility specialists who work to obtain birth certificates, for example. However, Texas Standard found that not all children end up getting these identification documents.

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Submitted by Laura Rice.