Not sure if father was legally adopted...

[Var1abl3]

My father was born in New Mexico. When he was young, his parents gave him up to a minister for one reason or another. He was told that he was adopted.

He is now in his 50s and lives in California. He recently went to renew his drivers license and he was told that his name did not match the SSN he gave. He later called Social Security and was told that his birth name and "supposedly adopted name" were both bound to the SSN and that he could not give out any additional information.

So first off, how can a SSN have two names bound to it? How does one go about finding out if an adoption was legal or not? If he was not legally adopted then does he have to use his birth name or can he continue to use the other name he has been using for 40+ years? Does this have any implications to his children that use his "adopted" name?

Thanks for any assistance. I have been unable to locate any information online regarding this.

[nextwife]

He should order a copy of his birth certificate. If he WAS adopted, an "adoption" cerfificate of birth facts should have been put into the record showing his adoptive parents as his legal parents.

I would presume that his children's SSN, etc. match the names they have been using all along, as the name is consistant with the birth record and SS number and were never anything different.

[LdiJ]

I think that it might be in your father's best interest to get an attorney to help him straighten this out. It could have some serious ramifications for him when it comes time to collect retirement. He still has a ways to go yet, but its better to get this straightened out now.