Replacing Damaged Legal Documents

This last week Texas experienced record-making low temperatures. The winter storm will go down in history books and has wreaked havoc on much of our state and in many ways people have and are in crisis. I have heard awful stories about homes being destroyed with water damage from bursting water pipes.

There is a great guide provided by the Texas Young Lawyers Association on how to Replace Damaged Documents.

Replacing a Social Security Card

To replace your social security card, you will need proof of your citizenship AND proof of your identity. You can prove your citizenship with a Passport or a Birth Certificate. You can prove your identity with a US Driver’s license, Texas driver's license, or a US Passport.

Replacing a Birth Certificate

You can order a new one online or mail in a request. Here is where you go to fill out the online application. And for more information, check out the DSHS website.

Replacing a Texas Issued ID or Driver’s License

You can go to your nearest DPS office, you’ll need to be sure to bring payment for the license, as well as two forms of identification, one item from DPS’s “primary list” and one from the “secondary” list. You can find the full list on their website.

Replacing your Estate Planning Documents

The good news is the copy of many of your estate planning documents is legally enforceable. However, with that said, it would be best practice and make things much easier on your family to replace your estate planning documents. When we replace estate documents, we have to be careful to revoke the former documents.