Question: I have stopped driving but still use my license as an ID because it has the gold star. It will expire soon. Can I switch my license to a state ID before it expires? Will I have to bring in all my documents again? How long will it be good for?
Answer: You can surrender your REAL ID-compliant Hawaii driver’s license and switch it to a REAL ID-compliant Hawaii state ID, retaining the gold star. You will need to present your current license but shouldn’t have to resubmit all documents proving your legal name, date of birth, legal U.S. presence and Hawaii principal residence, assuming the paperwork you previously submitted is on file and up to date.
“Applicants would not need to provide these documents if they already have a valid, real ID-compliant Hawaii driver’s license or state ID that is on file in our system. If applicants are unsure whether their documents are on file, they should call 808-768-9100 to inquire, or play it safe and bring the required documents with them to save time,” Harold Nedd, a spokesperson for Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services, said in an email.
That phone number reaches CSD’s driver license division, which also handles state IDs.
To make an appointment to complete the ID transfer, go to AlohaQ.org. Federal law allows states to issue only one REAL ID-compliant (gold star) credential per applicant at a time.
Once you make the switch, your state ID will be good for eight years. You’ll be giving up a two-year driver’s license, which you said you most recently renewed at age 82.
Q: We received the email from Social Security that after September we will not be able to sign in at ssa.gov with our current user name and password. We are instructed to change to Login.gov. My question: We already have a Login.gov account for Global Entry. How do we link the two accounts?
A: You should be able to access your “my Social Security” online account using your existing Login.gov credential by signing in at secure.login.gov, according to the Social Security Administration. “Login.gov is your one government account for simple, secure, and private access to participating government agencies. You can use your Login.gov account to access your Social Security benefit information, services, and other information. And you can use that same Login.gov account to manage other government benefits and services,” it says.
Global Entry, the trusted-traveler program that expedites passage through airport security checkpoints, also uses Login.gov.
Traffic update
Roadwork for the H-1 Freeway Improvements Project from the H-1/H-2 Merge to the Halawa Interchange is scheduled to shift to the eastbound direction starting today, the state Department of Transportation announced.
Three to four right lanes will close nightly on the H-1 freeway eastbound between the H-1/H-2 Merge and the Waimalu/Pearlridge offramp (Exit 10) on Tuesday nights through Sunday mornings, the DOT said. Roadwork will begin with a three-lane closure at 7 p.m., and a fourth lane will close at 8 p.m. All work will be weather permitting. Here are the scheduled work times:
>> Nightly from 7 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday nights through Friday mornings
>> 7 p.m. Fridays through 8 a.m. Saturdays
>> 7 p.m. Saturdays through 9 a.m. Sundays
“Roadwork on the eastbound Pearl City Viaduct will take approximately six months to complete, and after that HDOT will continue repairs on the eastbound Waimalu Viaduct. Some work in the westbound direction will be needed for testing and rebar welding and HDOT will provide advanced notice of these closures,” the department said.
Motorists should drive with caution and follow all traffic control signs.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
