Other mail and domicile services

[goldenskyhook]

QUESTION:

If I use the escapees mail service, will I need to file a change of address with USPS? That could make things difficult.

[sandsys]

3 minutes ago, goldenskyhook said:

The doctor can write most prescriptions to be filled anywhere, but with the two controlled substances, he cannot write more than three refills, it must be in Wisconsin, and they can't be stocked up ahead of time. Special thanks to the good old DEA! What a pain!

So you wold need to be there for kind of late int he the fall, hope there is a decent January thaw, and be  prepared to return earlier in the spring than you would otherwise? Could you fly home in January?

Linda

[sandsys]

3 minutes ago, goldenskyhook said:

QUESTION:

If I use the escapees mail service, will I need to file a change of address with USPS? That could make things difficult.

File a change of address only to your daughter's house. File individual changes of address for mail you want to go to Escapees. That way your daughter will catch any individuals you missed. 

Linda

[goldenskyhook]

OK, I figured it out. At first, I will do a change of address to my daughter's house. Then I will notify any potential senders of my change of address, except motor vehicle, voting, insurance, etc. Obviously, 99% of all that stuff can be done paperless, anyway. That means she will have to forward stuff maybe once or twice until the mail stops coming to her house. Not bad.

[goldenskyhook]

2 minutes ago, sandsys said:

So you wold need to be there for kind of late int he the fall, hope there is a decent January thaw, and be  prepared to return earlier in the spring than you would otherwise? Could you fly home in January?

Linda

Yeah, we won't make it out of here until November this year, just because of moving our stuff into storage or getting rid of it. Typically we will leave Wisconsin by September. I cannot tolerate the cold anymore, and my wife can work from anywhere there's internet/mobile coverage.

[Barbaraok]

I love Seattle, but I can't handle the winter anymore.   That damp cold goes straight through the bones and there is a reason that everyone drinks a lot of Coffee in Seattle - the sun never shines from October until April, just grey drizzle day after day.  But that means beautiful summers until the fires come. 

[goldenskyhook]

I've been to Seattle in the summertime, but haven't lived there. I did live in Portland, OR for about 10 years, and loved it a lot.

[Blues]

19 hours ago, goldenskyhook said:

If you wish to obtain the federally-compliant REAL ID when you renew in the next few months, you may wish to set up appropriate residency proofs ahead of your visit. I’ve attached a link to information on REAL ID below."

Are you renewing your license in the next few months?  If you're going to have to show proof of residency, then it would be a LOT easier to do it now, while you still have utility bills and whatnot for where you're currently living.  In Texas, you can renew up to a year in advance of the expiration date.  If that's possible, I'd do it.  You'll have to use your current address and not your daughter's (so it will match the documentation), but that's no big deal.  You can change the address upon your move, or just let it be stale.  They'll mail the new license to your current address, so do it far enough in advance that you can receive it there.

I don't understand this Real ID thing.  The Texas driver's license I'm looking at has the star on it that indicates it's a Real ID, but the holder never had to produce any documentation other than a birth certificate when getting the renewal that produced the star on the license. 

 

18 hours ago, goldenskyhook said:

OK, I figured it out. At first, I will do a change of address to my daughter's house. Then I will notify any potential senders of my change of address, except motor vehicle, voting, insurance, etc. Obviously, 99% of all that stuff can be done paperless, anyway. That means she will have to forward stuff maybe once or twice until the mail stops coming to her house. Not bad.

You should get your Escapees address immediately, and start giving individual changes of address to places you want to use that address.  There's no reason to wait on that, it will lessen the amount of mail your daughter gets, and it might be more reliable than a blanket change of address form with the post office.

 

16 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

I love Seattle, but I can't handle the winter anymore.   That damp cold goes straight through the bones

Word.  I remember one year I was there.  On May 1 I decided it was time to go out without wearing long underwear.  On May 2, I put it back on.

[goldenskyhook]

Thanks for the tips. This forum is AWESOME!

Yes, I renew my license this week, and will get the REAL deal. That's a great idea to start the address change now. That way she would only need to handle things like correspondence from the DMV, voter reg, etc.

[hemsteadc]

If you need your supplemental insurance, do you have to have to go back to WI?  That would kinda suck.

Edited September 15, 2020 by hemsteadc

[Kirk W]

3 hours ago, Blues said:

I don't understand this Real ID thing. 

From the Homeland Security website:

Quote

The REAL ID Act establishes minimum security standards for license issuance and production and prohibits Federal agencies from accepting for certain purposes driver’s licenses and identification cards from states not meeting the Act’s minimum standards. The purposes covered by the Act are: accessing Federal facilities, entering nuclear power plants, and, boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft.

 

[goldenskyhook]

1 hour ago, hemsteadc said:

If you need your supplemental insurance, do you have to have to go back to WI?  That would kinda suck.

No, just need to have a Wisconsin Domicile.

[bigjim]

4 hours ago, goldenskyhook said:

Thanks for the tips. This forum is AWESOME!

I was  member for over 5-6 years before I learned the very basics of computer use. So it was that long before I accessed the forum and it sure would have saved me a lot of problems learning stuff the hard way. 

[Blues]

On 9/15/2020 at 5:01 PM, Kirk W said:

The REAL ID Act establishes minimum security standards for license issuance and production and prohibits Federal agencies from accepting for certain purposes driver’s licenses and identification cards from states not meeting the Act’s minimum standards.

I know what it does.  What I don't understand is why the Wisconsin DMV person was telling goldenskyhook about "appropriate residency proofs" in order to get a REAL ID when he renews his Wisconsin driver's license, while in Texas all that was required to end up with a REAL ID upon renewal was a birth certificate, which doesn't even have a picture proving identity, and has nothing showing current residence.

[bigjim]

Just speculating Blues but sometimes you get someone that really knows or some that doesn't really know has to and have to have an answer or some kind.  Then there are the ones that really do think they know and know it well so they are not willing to do the research to make sure they are correct.    I just witnessed that yesterday. A basically good guy giving out half-right information.  Sure was hard to stand within hearing and know it is wrong and have to keep my mouth shut.  I had a  DL renewal  in TX that never got issued.  It took me months and multiple people to find one "experienced" enough to find the answer easily and quickly.

[Blues]

I assume that whatever the Texas DPS employee uses to issue the license has boxes to be checked or something like that to indicate compliance with the REAL ID requirements.  I know of another person who got a REAL ID renewal in a Texas different city who also never submitted any residency documents, but I honestly can't remember if a birth certificate was involved. 

But I do know that the one done last year required only the birth certificate.  This was in a random small Texas town, and the person renewing was not a local.  The clerk actually seemed kind of pleased to turn him away, saying, "You have to have your birth certificate."  What the clerk didn't know was that the person renewing had his house and all his possessions parked along the curb right down the street, so he was back with his birth certificate in five minutes.

So actually, this clerk seemed like the type to make people jump through every hoop, or maybe just people he didn't know.  But I sure had the impression that he wasn't letting this person renewing get away with anything, and all that was required was a birth certificate.

[Barbaraok]

Hey, Blues, I just renewed my Texas DL, getting a "Star" for the Real ID and didn't send in copy of my birth certificate, just a copy of my passport (with the picture) was all they needed.  

This link might help:

https://www.dps.texas.gov/internetforms/Forms/DL-15.pdf

 

With my DL renewal, I sent a copy of the above form printed off and checked which items I was including, as well as having them detailed in the cover letter.   When we go in to renew our licenses, we also print off copies of the requirements from the DPS website and take with us.   I might say something like "I've gone over the checklist from the website" as I wave the printout  "and believe I have everything here for you".     We also always take a copy of their vision requirements for Eye Specialists filled out by our opthalmologist because Dave only has peripheral vision in one eye and it is just easier to give them the physician's statements.  

Edited September 17, 2020 by Barbaraok

[goldenskyhook]

2 hours ago, Blues said:

I know what it does.  What I don't understand is why the Wisconsin DMV person was telling goldenskyhook about "appropriate residency proofs" in order to get a REAL ID when he renews his Wisconsin driver's license, while in Texas all that was required to end up with a REAL ID upon renewal was a birth certificate, which doesn't even have a picture proving identity, and has nothing showing current residence.

They didn't say anything to me about proof of residence. The two pieces of mail I brought were fine for that. I had mislaid my birth certificate and it took a few days to order and receive a copy.

[Kirk W]

1 hour ago, goldenskyhook said:

. I had mislaid my birth certificate and it took a few days to order and receive a copy.

If you happen to have a passport, that will take the place of the birth certificate and anything else that they may require for the purposes of the Real ID laws. The Real ID doesn't care what state you live in, as that is a matter of state driver's license laws. The Real ID thing is to document proof for who you are and things required for travel. I could tell you more about the TX side of things, since I just got my TX-Real ID license about 2 weeks ago, but since you aren't moving to TX that would just muddy things. 

[goldenskyhook]

Yeah, my passport was expired, so I wasn't sure they'd honor it.

[Barbaraok]

10 minutes ago, goldenskyhook said:

Yeah, my passport was expired, so I wasn't sure they'd honor it.

Since we spend the summers in the PNW and often go into Canada (when the border was open) we always have a current passport with us.  And we never fly without one.   Just easier in so many ways; to always have it with us.

[sandsys]

5 hours ago, bigjim said:

Just speculating Blues but sometimes you get someone that really knows or some that doesn't really know has to and have to have an answer or some kind.  Then there are the ones that really do think they know and know it well so they are not willing to do the research to make sure they are correct.    I just witnessed that yesterday. A basically good guy giving out half-right information.  Sure was hard to stand within hearing and know it is wrong and have to keep my mouth shut.  I had a  DL renewal  in TX that never got issued.  It took me months and multiple people to find one "experienced" enough to find the answer easily and quickly.

Yes! When we went to renew passports, we were told to bring all the ID stuff we needed to get a new one. Wrong!

Linda

[Barbaraok]

2 hours ago, sandsys said:

Yes! When we went to renew passports, we were told to bring all the ID stuff we needed to get a new one. Wrong!

Linda

We did our renewal by mail.  Just followed the instructions, sent in the required items, filled out form, current passport, photo stapled in the correct place on the form, check for amount, and mailed it in.   New passport came back about three weeks later, the old one (in separate envelop) arrived a few days later.  In fact, when we renewed a couple of years ago we were told NOT to do it in person at the Post Office unless there was some unusual circumstances, but to do it by mail.   

[Kirk W]

29 minutes ago, Barbaraok said:

We did our renewal by mail.  Just followed the instructions, sent in the required items, filled out form, current passport, photo stapled in the correct place on the form, check for amount, and mailed it in.   New passport came back about three weeks later, the old one (in separate envelop) arrived a few days later.  In fact, when we renewed a couple of years ago we were told NOT to do it in person at the Post Office unless there was some unusual circumstances, but to do it by mail.   

Our experience too. We renewed about a year ago.

[sandsys]

4 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

when we renewed a couple of years ago we were told NOT to do it in person at the Post Office unless there was some unusual circumstances, but to do it by mail.   

We did not do it at a post office. Our county service center offers lots of services and passport applications and renewals are among of those services. I like our center because you take a number then sit until called. Whether you get a blue or white number is determined by what service you need as the clerks at various windows have specialties. But I have not been there since Covid-19 hit as I haven't had a need to find out if they are even open right now.

Linda