NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – It is a piece of paper that makes your life official.
But one local mother says, without it, she can’t prove her newborn son even exists.
That’s because more than two months after he was born, she still hasn’t received a copy of his birth certificate.
“I need his information. Without it, I can’t do anything. My hands are completely tied. It’s like he doesn’t exist when he does. I see him living and breathing every single day,” the mom told News 2.
The baby was born on December 14. A few weeks later she went to the social security office and that’s when she says she first realized there was a problem.
“They told me they couldn’t issue a social security card for him because he doesn’t have a birth certificate on file yet,” she said.
The young mother, who doesn’t want her identity revealed because she’s a victim of domestic violence, told News 2 she’s called the Tennessee Office of Vital Records multiple times and left messages but got nowhere.
“I can’t file my taxes, I can’t put his insurance in place. I’m getting hounded. I can’t even add him on my lease because they require birth certificates, social security cards and I don’t have those. He is living here but
he’s not necessarily here,” she said.
News 2 contacted the Tennessee Office of Vital Records.
Spokesman Bill Christian responded by email and said, “The Office of Vital Records is not behind in issuing birth certificates. Sometimes there are delays in the process of issuing birth certificates for various reasons.
For example, information may be left off of a birth certificate form. We can’t comment on specific families in regards to birth certificates because of privacy concerns.”
The mother says no one has notified her to say information has been left off her paperwork and she still doesn’t know what the problem is.
Christian went on to say that on average it takes between 30 to 45 days to process a birth certificate once it goes through the office after they receive it.
UPDATE: Spokesman Bill Christian told News 2 Thursday evening the office has been in touch with the mother and assures us that she will be getting her son’s birth certificate in the next day or so.
The baby was born on December 14. More than two months after he was born, his mother still hasn’t received a copy of his birth certificate.
