Q: I will be applying for my Social Security benefits in March. I had cut out one of your old newspaper columns that told me what documents I would need to do this. One documents is a birth certificate. But a neighbor who just applied for Social Security told me he didn't need his birth certificate. Getting my birth certificate will be a bit of a challenge because I live in North Carolina but was born in New York. What should I do?

A: The Social Security Administration recently switched streams. For decades, they always required that people applying for Social Security retirement benefits (and just about every other kind of benefit, for that matter) must provide documented proof of their birth. And that almost always meant a birth certificate.

But now they've decided that if the date of birth you allege on your retirement benefit claim form matches the birth date you gave on your original application for a Social Security number, that's good enough.

SSA has always had a general documentation policy that essentially said, "The older a record of birth is, the better it is." That's why a birth certificate was right at the top of their list of preferred "proof of age" documents.

But after years of study, they've concluded that an original Social Security number application form is pretty good evidence of age. And in most cases, it is an old record of birth. After all, most people today who are in their 60s and applying for Social Security benefits probably got their first Social Security card in their early teens, if not sooner. In other words, that Social Security number application form is around 50 years old. So, it's an old record of your birth and SSA will accept it as proof of your age -- again, as long as it matches the date of birth you are currently alleging.

This really isn't a hard-and-fast rule, though. The new policy gives SSA representatives the discretion to ask for further evidence of your birth if they think they need it. That's why SSA's website (www.socialsecurity.gov), which for years said you MUST have a birth certificate when you apply for Social Security benefits, now says you should have it handy because "it might be needed."

Q: I am about to apply for Social Security. I was born in Germany in 1944 and can't get a birth certificate. What do I do?

A: If you haven't done so already, you should contact the folks at your local Social Security office and ask for their advice.

As I explained in the previous answer, your original Social Security number application form may be all the proof of age they need. But I've got a hunch that in your case, they're going to ask for further documentation.

You said you can't get your German birth certificate. If you meant that you think it will be difficult to obtain, SSA representatives will help. They have years of experience assisting people in getting birth certificates from all corners of the globe. (As you might guess, you're certainly not the first person born in a foreign country to apply for Social Security retirement benefits.)

If you meant you've already checked and your original birth certificate was destroyed or is otherwise simply no longer available, SSA officials will help you get alternative documents. As I explained in the first answer, the general rule will be that the oldest record available is the document they want. So, for example, if you were baptized as a small child and that church record is available, they'll help you get it. If there is no religious record, they have a long list of other documents they will accept.