Hill, Womack request Social Security Administration alter policy to help Arkansans

U.S. Reps. French Hill (R-AR) and Steve Womack (R-AR) joined their home-state Republican colleagues in seeking changes to a federal policy requiring Arkansans to turn over primary identification documents, such as a driver’s license, to obtain a new copy of their Social Security card.

“We write to request that you alter Social Security Administration (SSA) policy that forces our constituents to choose between violating the laws of the State of Arkansas or forgo driving themselves to important destinations, such as to work or to the doctor,” wrote Rep. Hill, Rep. Womack, and U.S. Reps. Rick Crawford (R-AR) and Bruce Westerman (R-AR) in an Oct. 8 letter sent to SSA Commissioner Andrew Saul.

According to the members’ letter, the SSA is remote-only in Arkansas due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and requires that a driver’s license be presented to apply for a replacement Social Security card. Specifically, Arkansas SSA officials are requiring individuals to mail in their driver’s licenses for processing. 

“While we appreciate the need for caution to protect employees, this requires my constituents to spend weeks without a driver’s license or identification, which is not only inconvenient but in Arkansas it is also illegal to drive without a license on your person,” the lawmakers wrote.

Rep. Hill said in a statement that the current SSA policy is counterproductive to the interests of central Arkansans. “While it is important to protect our employees during the pandemic, this current policy has already had ramifications that have negatively impacted our community,” said Rep. Hill. “Our federal agencies must take responsibility to amend this burdensome policy and generate a solution to this problem.”

“Helping Arkansans and providing constituent services is a core function of our offices,” added Rep. Womack. “Residents have voiced concerns that current Social Security Administration policies are hampering their ability to obtain needed documents without having their day-to-day lives limited. By raising the matter, I am hopeful we can responsibly resolve the issue.” 

The Arkansas Republicans requested that Saul “find a workaround to this problem to ensure Arkansans are not further burdened.”