Question: I need to replace my Social Security card. Do I have to do it online?

Answer: No. In fact, Hawaii is among about 25 states that don’t have that option; you must replace your card in person or by regular mail.

You can go online to see what documents you’ll need and to fill out and print the application, or you may pick up the application form at one of Oahu’s two Social Security offices, in Honolulu and Kapolei.

If you need assistance, you may schedule an appointment at the Honolulu office by calling 1-800-772-1213, said Jane Yamamoto- Burigsay, a Social Security spokeswoman. Or you may walk in and wait at the Kapolei office, which does not offer advance appointments for Social Security card replacements, she said.

The address for the Honolulu office is Social Security Administration, 300 Ala Moana Blvd., Room 1-114, Honolulu, HI 96850.

The address in Kapolei is Social Security Administration, 970 Manawai St., Kapolei, HI 96707.

Both offices are open to the public Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Wednesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Yamamoto-Burigsay said. They are closed weekends and federal holidays.

You may be able to handle this task by mail, without an office visit, by carefully following the instructions on the website and form, which you can find at ssa.gov/ssnumber/.

The Social Security Administration needs to see different documents depending on an applicant’s citizenship and the type of card requested, Yamamoto- Burigsay said. In your case, as a U.S.-born citizen requesting a replacement card, you’ll need to provide one document proving your identity, such as a U.S. passport, U.S. driver’s license, or U.S. state ID.

She emphasized that only original or certified copies of any document are accepted; no photocopies.

Once you receive your replacement card, do not carry it with you. Store it in a safe place.

Q: Is there a fee for this?

A: No, the Social Security Administration does not charge for replacement cards, which raises an important point. Kokua Line has heard from readers who paid private vendors for government services they could have received for free — if only they had gone to the correct website. For Social Security, that’s ssa.gov.

The internet is full of commercial websites (ending in .com) that charge for services available at no charge directly from the government, with no middleman necessary.

So when seeking information online, be sure that you go to the government agency’s official website, which should have a .gov or .mil address. Don’t rely on a search engine to take you to the best site, especially if you don’t know the agency’s exact name.

Look for https:// at the beginning of the address, which signifies that the site is secure, and .gov or .mil near the end of it, which signifies that the site is official. The .gov address is used by a variety of government agencies and .mil is used by the military.

The website usa.gov is a good place to start your search. Besides the A-to-Z index, there’s a search function that scans only official federal, state and local government sites.

Mahalo

I wanted you to know that we have good, righteous people in the world.

I was given a parcel by FedEx while watering my garden and left it on my car trunk. I forgot about it and went to the post office. It fell off about a block away in the Salt Lake neighborhood.

A gentleman found it on the street and took the time to deliver the parcel to my home — not once but two times since I had just gone to the post office.

He works at Ono Construction as a foreman.

I am truly blessed to have this good, righteous person live in our neighborhood.

Mahalo! — B.K.M.

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.