Question: I received a packet in the mail that says it’s from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey, with the phone number 800-354-7271. It asks very sensitive questions. With all the scams and impersonators going around, I want to know: Is this legit?
Answer: Yes, the American Community Survey is a legitimate survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The toll-free phone number you mentioned is the correct number to call to verify that you have received the true survey.
Unlike the U.S. Census, which occurs every 10 years and aims to count every U.S. resident, the ACS is conducted continuously, with surveys mailed to a random, representative sample of the population in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The ACS chronicles America’s changing population, workforce and housing statistics, thanks to these regular infusions of fresh data.
The ACS does ask personal questions, about income, employment, marital history, race, citizenship, education, fertility and many other topics, but the Census Bureau emphasizes that its staff follows strict confidentiality rules to protect individual respondents’ privacy. “By law, the Census Bureau cannot share respondents’ answers with anyone — not the IRS, not the FBI, not the CIA, and not with any other government agency,” it states on its website.
Census Bureau employees are sworn for life to protect all information that could identify individuals and may be fined, imprisoned or both if they violate this nondisclosure oath. The ACS states, “We will never reveal your identity to anybody else. Ever.”
Along with knowing what topics it covers, it’s also important to know what the real American Community Survey doesn’t ask — so that you can avoid imposters looking to rip you off. The ACS will never ask for your Social Security number, money or donations, your credit card information or for your personal information via email.
If you fail to complete and submit the ACS you received, you might get a visit from a field representative. That person must carry official Census ID. Make sure you see it before responding to any questions.
Q: Do Hawaiian homesteads count as being “federally connected” in terms of Federal Impact Aid for the schools?
A: No.
Federal Impact Aid is money the U.S. government gives to public-school districts throughout the country to help offset the cost of educating “federally connected” students. Such students live on, or their parents work on, federally connected properties that don’t pay city, county or state taxes to fund the public schools. Such properties include military installations and housing, sovereign indigenous lands (“Indian lands”), national parks and some low-income housing. Schools survey families each year so that districts get their full share of aid.
“Hawaiian Home Lands do not currently count as federally connected in terms of qualifying for Impact Aid,” said Derek Inoshita, a spokesman for the state Department of Education.
That could change in the future, he said, if a Native Hawaiian government were established that held a government-to-government relationship with the U.S., similar to that held by federally recognized American Indian tribes.
Mahalo
A belated “thank you” to a young gentleman who assisted my wheelchair-bound husband and myself into Sears at Windward Mall. I couldn’t get the automatic-door button to work, so I struggled to get my husband and myself into the store. This kind gentleman saw my frustration from afar. He ran up to assist us to get into the store, and he was not even going to Sears! May he be blessed! — Two grateful seniors
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.
