Social Security now requires Maine parents to visit an agency office to register newborns

Mar. 6—An update, in which the Social Security Administration reverses course, was posted at 10:39 a.m. Friday, March 7. Read it here: Social Security reverses course, will allow Maine parents to register their newborns at hospitals

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The Social Security Administration is ending a decades-long practice of allowing parents to register their newborn for a Social Security number at the hospital and instead is requiring them to do so by visiting one of the state's eight Social Security offices, according to an email sent by Maine officials this week.

It was not clear Thursday whether this is a nationwide change, unique to Maine, or if it is a change being piloted in Maine that would expand to other parts of the country.

Advocates for pediatrics in Maine immediately criticized the move as burdensome, unnecessary and unfair.

The "Enumeration at Birth" process, which has been in effect since the late 1980s, allowed parents to check a box on a form shortly after birth at a hospital or other health care setting and receive a Social Security card in the mail.

The email notice the Maine Department of Health and Human Services sent to "birth certifiers" on Wednesday says that "effective immediately, the option for parents to participate in the enumeration at birth process will be suspended."

The ease of the enumeration process meant that the vast majority of children were registered. The state notice did not explain a reason for the change.

"(Enumeration at Birth) is voluntary for parents; however, almost all parents utilized the EAB to obtain a (Social Security number) for their child," the notice says. "Parents will need to visit their local Social Security Office to apply for their child's Social Security number."

The email went on to say that the question regarding Social Security registration has been removed from the system, so that parents will no longer be able to fill out the form.

The Social Security Administration did not respond to questions Thursday about the reason for ending the enumeration program.

The Maine DHHS said it was recently alerted to the change by the administration, which is also requiring funeral directors to complete and send paperwork directly to the SSA in some cases. The change does not impact how Maine registers births and deaths or issues birth certificates.

"In recent days, Maine DHHS has been informing birthing hospitals and others who attend births to ensure they are aware of these changes due to SSA's decision and will share further guidance as it becomes available," spokesperson Alisa Morton said in an email.

Dr. Joe Anderson, advocacy chair of the Maine chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said that eliminating the program "creates a lot of unnecessary and unfair burdens for families."

"It makes absolutely no sense to me at all to do this," Anderson said. "I see no logical explanation for forcing parents and newborns — with 11,000 babies born in Maine every year — to sit in a crowded waiting room, when we have done this easily, securely and efficiently for decades."

Anderson, a pediatric hospitalist who cares for newborns in Lewiston, said some parents will be driving hours to the nearest Social Security office, and transportation is a burden for lower-income families.

Maine's eight Social Security offices are located in Auburn, Portland, Saco, Bangor, Augusta, Presque Isle, Waterville and Rockland.

Morgan Miller, a midwife who practices in Bath, said making families with newborns go to crowded offices, where their newborn could catch germs, is "insane" when they could just check a box on a form.

CREATING HURDLES, TO WHAT PURPOSE?

"This is creating so many hurdles for people, adding something like this administratively to people's lives," Miller said.

Families need to get a Social Security number relatively quickly for their newborn for a number of reasons, including for their health insurance forms, Miller said.

Anderson said to get a child tax credit, the newborn needs to have a Social Security number, so it's not like families can put it off.

"The process that we had works perfectly well, and this raises some questions as to what's the purpose behind this?" Anderson said.

The procedural change by the Social Security Administration comes in the wake of an executive order President Donald Trump signed on his first day in office, which argued that babies of noncitizens should not be granted automatic citizenship and sought to limit birthright citizenship rules outlined in the Constitution.

Last month, a federal judge in New Hampshire paused the order amidst a lawsuit filed by civil rights advocates in Maine and other states.

The Social Security Administration recently announced 7,000 cuts to its workforce. Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk have, without evidence, said there is widespread Social Security fraud.

The Social Security Office in Presque Isle was initially on a list of buildings the Trump administration was set to sell, but that list has since been rescinded.

Staff Writer Daniel Kool contributed to this report.

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