The new mom enjoyed a playful moment with her son Ja'lani who is now 18 months. However, problems began when she received her son's Social Security card.
His first name is spelled with an "A," not an "O" as it's incorrectly spelled on his Social Security card. His last name should be hyphenated.
She went down to the Social Security Office to get the spelling corrected and that's when she found out for the first time she also had a problem with the birth certificate.
"They said if its spelled like this on the Social Security card, then its spelled like that on the birth certificate," says Marquita Figures, Oakland.
She had never seen Ja'lani's birth certificate because she had never requested it. She paid the $20 dollar fee and had the spelling amended on his birth certificate and received the amended copy in the mail.
"So everything in his name is spelled right, but when I got the birth certificate in the mail, my name was spelled wrong."
Her middle name, Lynette, isn't supposed to have an "a" in it.
The division chief for the Clerk's Recorder's Office says mistakes aren't uncommon, and usually run the gamut.
The division chief says mistakes happen in a number of ways and usually at the hospital level. In this case, Marquita says no one from Highland Hospital ever came to her to verify the information on Ja'lani's birth certificate.
In fact, on the line where a parent usually signs a birth certificate, a hospital employee signed instead.
She did not want to pay a $20 dollar fee to file for an amended return a second time saying it was the hospital's fault both times so 7 On Your Side called Highland Hospital and they agreed to take care of the fee for her.
You can get a form to amend a birth certificate from your county's Recorder's Office, or you can find one on line by clicking below.
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To order an application to amend a birth certificate:
http://www.dhs.ca.gov/hisp/chs/ovr/ovrformsreq.asp
Affidavit to amend a birth record:
http://www.cdph.ca.gov/certlic/birthdeathmar/Documents/Affidavit%20-%20Birth%20(07-01-07).pdf
