Assisting the claimant in requesting a certificate of the public record of birth

• Use an SSA-L706 (Letter to Custodian of Birth Records) which specifically asks for the date the record was established

• See GN 00301.265 and GN 00302.070 for more details on the use of the SSA-L706.

  NOTE: In the absence of evidence to the contrary, assume that a domestic BC was registered shortly after birth.

The claimant offers to have a DBC established

• Ask claimant instead to give us the evidence which would be submitted to the State

• Such evidence may be sufficient if it meets proof-of-age requirements.

The certification of birth was issued by one State attesting to the claimant's birth in another State or in another country

• NOTE: Always examine the public record of birth carefully to ascertain whether it was issued by the State of birth.

• The probative value of the records is considerably lessened

• Treat the record as an ordinary record rather than as a public record of birth.

  NOTE: While the most frequent form such certifications take is that of a DBC, it may appear to be a regular BC or a notification of birth registration.