HUTCHINSON, KS — A Hutchinson veteran says he cannot start receiving Social Security retirement benefits because his original birth certificate does not specifically state that he is a United States citizen. Shelby Spence says the problem surfaced when he applied a few months before turning 65, even though he already has a Social Security card and military discharge papers.
Spence says the paperwork issue has kept his claim from moving forward for months. He says he has spent years paying into Social Security through his work, and now the retirement process has been stalled by records he has been unable to produce or replace.
The situation has left him searching for a path forward while his employer and family members try to help him sort through agencies, forms, and possible documentation.
Born on a naval air base, Spence says his records never resolved the citizenship question
Spence says he was born on a naval air base in Japan while his father was serving in the Navy. He describes himself as a Navy brat and says the certificate he has lists his parents and birthplace but does not include a statement that he is an American citizen.
That omission, he says, is the detail that has caused the trouble. According to Spence, the document triggered a red flag when he submitted his retirement paperwork, and the application stopped there.
He says the birth certificate issue is especially frustrating because the rest of his life has been rooted in U.S. service and work. Spence said he later followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the Army on July 6, 1976.
Army service, civilian work, and years in Hutchinson add to his case for retirement
Spence said he spent two and a half years stationed in Nuremberg, Germany, during his military career and finished the rest of his four years at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. After leaving the Army, he settled into civilian life and eventually made Hutchinson his home for nearly 40 years.
He said he worked in the auto-electric and rebuilding industry for almost 30 years, including the last few years at B&B Hydraulics. For him, retirement is not an abstract question; it is the next step after a long stretch of service and labor.
Spence said he has paid Social Security taxes since 1974 and expected to be able to file normally when the time came. Instead, he says the retirement process turned into a records problem he did not anticipate.
Attempts in Washington, Japan, and Wichita have not solved the document problem
Spence said he first filed with Vital Records in Washington, D.C., twice. He also said he and others reached out to the naval air base and the hospital on the base in Japan, but were told no records were kept there.
He said the embassy in Japan also had no records to provide. After that, he was told to try for a passport, but that effort did not work because of the same birth certificate issue.
Spence said the owner of his company connected him with immigration in Wichita, where forms were filed. Even so, he said he still does not have the documentation needed to move ahead with retirement benefits.
B&B Hydraulics staff say they are helping, but the delay remains frustrating
Tanner Rayl, a co-owner of B&B Hydraulics, said the situation has been frustrating for the people around Spence as well. Rayl said the company and its staff have tried to support their co-worker as he works through the paperwork.
Rayl said the goal is to help Spence stay focused on getting the documents he needs instead of worrying about the financial strain. He said his partner, Bill Speakman, has also helped arrange appointments, gather files, and keep the process moving where possible.
For Rayl, the broader concern is that workers pay into Social Security with the expectation that retirement benefits will be there when needed. He said that expectation feels especially important in Spence’s case because of his military service.
Spence wants other veterans to know they may face similar paperwork hurdles
Spence said the delay has made him feel neglected, and he wants to raise awareness in case other veterans run into similar obstacles. He said he does not understand why a Social Security card issued decades ago has never been a problem until retirement benefits were on the line.
He said he has now brought in an attorney, and Rayl said the company also reached out to Senator Jerry Moran’s office to help connect Spence with additional support. The effort is still unfolding, but the core problem remains the same: he needs acceptable proof for the retirement process to proceed.
The Social Security Administration says people applying for retirement benefits may need documents such as an original certified birth certificate, proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status, military service papers if they served before 1968, and tax forms such as a W-2 or self-employment return from the prior year.
Social Security says certified records and citizenship proof can be required for retirement claims
The Social Security website says documents requested during a retirement application can include a Social Security card or record of the number, a certified original birth certificate, and other proof of age. It also says photocopies and notarized copies are not acceptable.
Other records may include proof of citizenship or lawful alien status, military service papers for people who served before 1968, and tax documents such as a W-2 or self-employment return for the previous year. In Spence’s case, those requirements appear to be at the center of the delay.
For now, he is left waiting while advocates, relatives, and co-workers keep searching for a document trail that will satisfy the agency and allow his retirement claim to move ahead.
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