Social Security Online Verification FAQs
Social Security Online Verification, or SSOLV, is an information verification tool that allows the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles to communicate directly with the Social Security Administration in real-time to verify a customer's Social Security number, name and date of birth.
When did the BMV begin using SSOLV?
The BMV launched SSOLV on November 7, 2007. Any new customers applying for a driver license, identification card, permit or title after that date are processed through the SSOLV system.
Hasn't the BMV been verifying Social Security numbers all along? Why switch to SSOLV?
The BMV has relied on information provided by commercial data verification services to verify Social Security numbers since its conversion to the STARS computer system in 2006 and on an ad-hoc basis prior to that. These services provide personal data verification to government agencies and certain businesses, such as banks.
The launch of SSOLV marked the first time that Indiana has confirmed Social Security numbers and related information directly with the primary source for that information, the Social Security Administration. In converting to SSOLV, Indiana joined 47 other states already using this system in an effort to obtain the most accurate information available.
Do existing customers have to go through this process?
In most cases, they already have. Prior to launching SSOLV, the BMV compared all existing records with the Social Security Administration's records. Social Security numbers for approximately 6.4 million records in our database (or 97 percent) were verified through this process, and those records have been marked as such.
What about the existing customers who were not verified?
Approximately three percent or 206,000 records could not be verified with the Social Security Administration through the "scrub" of existing customers. The reasons included:
- Social Security number was not on file or was invalid.
- Name and date of birth matched, but gender did not match.
- Name and gender matched, but date of birth did not match.
- Name matched, but gender and date of birth did not match.
- Name did not match.
How did customers know that their information did not match the information on file with the Social Security Administration, and what could they do about it?
Each of those customers was sent two letters informing them about the issue and inviting the customer to resolve it by confirming their relevant information with the BMV.
If the BMV was unable to match the customer's information, as provided, with the Social Security Administration database, the customer needed to visit a Social Security Administration office to correct the data in the Social Security Administration's records.
What happened if a customer's record still did not match after the customer has been through the BMV process?
If an existing customer was still unable to obtain a match, or if the customer failed to communicate with the BMV, that customer's driver license or identification card was invalidated and future transactions will be rejected.
If a new customer is unable to obtain a Social Security Administration match, the BMV will not issue a driver license, identification card, permit or title to that customer.
When did the BMV notify existing customers that their BMV record does not match their Social Security Administration record?
The BMV began notifying 206,000 customers the week of November 5 and notified all affected customers by the week of November 26. A customer was given approximately eight weeks to resolve the issue before the BMV invalidated that customer's driver license or identification card.
The BMV sent affected customers at least two notices prior to invalidating their driver licenses or identification cards and sent a third letter informing them that their cards had been invalidated.
Does this mean that 206,000 BMV customers have falsified their Social Security number information?
No. A customer record may not have matched for any number of reasons. For example, if a customer had changed his or her name in the Social Security Administration database following a marriage, divorce, or some other event, but failed to notify the BMV of the change (or vice versa), that customer's record was rejected. Likewise, a data processing error by either the BMV or the Social Security Administration would have resulted in a rejected record.
Could these issues be the result of errors in the STARS computer system?
Actually, the STARS computer system is the catalyst for this improvement to the BMV's data integrity. Under the old system, there were few controls on customer data. For example, the previous system would have accepted the number 123-45-6789 as a "valid" Social Security number. The STARS system put various controls in place to eliminate such bad data and is now facilitating the BMV's real-time communication with the Social Security Administration.
What does this verification process cost the taxpayers?
The real-time Social Security number verification through SSOLV costs $0.04 per transaction. It cost less than $10,000 to perform the initial scrub of the BMV database to verify existing customers.
What transactions require proof of Social Security number?
Driver license, permit, identification card and vehicle title transactions require proof of Social Security number.
Are customers' Social Security numbers and personal information safe during the verification process?
One of the most important responsibilities the BMV has is safeguarding customers' personal information and identity. The BMV, working in partnership with the Indiana Office of Technology, has employed sophisticated technology to ensure all data and transactions processed through SSOLV are secure and encrypted.
What did the BMV do with a customer who had used a fraudulent Social Security number to obtain his or her driver license or identification card?
During the scrub of the BMV database, the BMV identified instances in which multiple individuals used the same Social Security number or in which an individual presented a Social Security number that was known to be invalid. The BMV works with the Indiana State Police to investigate those cases and take appropriate action.
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