For a card that ’s supposed to last your entire living , that ’s an incrediblehassleto replace , and that you may one twenty-four hours need in ordering tosecure a jobor obtain adriver ’s licence , Social Security cards are oddly soft . Keeping one in your pocketbook can really beat it up , but endeavor to carry on it via lamination is glower upon by the Social Security Administration ( SSA ) .
It all seems like a brutal joke perpetuate by our elect officials — but there ’s a reason behind it all .
Social Security Administration
The numbered cards , which were issued beginning in 1936 , are mean to help the SSA track U.S. citizens and their wages to allocate retiree benefits . ( A nine - figure codification , the first three telephone number are ground ongeographical location . ) While they were previously made of composition board , the means switched to banknote paper in1983and still use it today . As with currency , which use like paper , the material allows the SSA to put through anumberof feature film that deter counterfeiting . The racy , marbleized background tincture is erasable , making any changes to the notice obvious . Intaglio print has raised lettering that can be palpate by touch and is used because it is notoriously hard to retroflex . Naturally , laminating the card would intervene with discover these and other unpublicized security measures measures .
While the circuit board might seem to be more sophisticated than you ’d think , that ’s not of much assistance when it emerge clobber and torn from your bag or sack . Turns out you ’re not actually think to becarrying it around . The SSA suggests you store the card in a secure piazza until it ’s needed . One handy tip is to keep it in a plastic sleeve think for baseball card collector .
If the card ’s lack of durability is still bothersome , you could indite to the SSA request they re - consider one other program : issue numbers scratch ondog tag .
