Question: I don’t fault the Health Department because I know they are busy with the COVID-19 stuff, but I need my birth certificate to get my REAL ID and I can never get anyone on the phone. This is stressful because I don’t want to make the license appointment until I have the birth certificate, and there’s such a long wait for the renewal appointment. Do you think they will delay this again?

Q: Has the deadline for a gold-star license been extended?

Answer: Yes, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday that full enforcement of the federal REAL ID law would be delayed again, to May 3, 2023. Hawaii driver’s licenses and state identification cards with or without the “gold star” insignia will be accepted at domestic airport security lines until that date. Read more at www.dhs.gov/real-id.

This is the latest in a long history of delays for the 2005 law, which was first scheduled to be implemented in 2008. The Trump administration had planned to enforce the air travel provision starting Oct. 1, 2020, but postponed that a year because of the pandemic. Now the Biden administration has pushed back the deadline 20 more months, as DMVs around the country struggle to catch up with license and ID orders backlogged during the pandemic.

The delay should come as a relief to many readers who expressed concern about being able to update their Hawaii license or ID in time. The star indicates that the person’s identity, lawful U.S. presence and Hawaii legal residence has been verified to federal standards.

For more information about the requirements and process to obtain a REAL ID-compliant credential in Honolulu County, see 808ne.ws/hclic.

As for obtaining a certified copy of a Hawaii birth certificate, the quickest method is to order online, according to the Department of Health. The portal is at vitrec.ehawaii.gov/ vitalrecords.

Q: Regarding UI, do we have to look for work, or is that still waived?

A: No, you don’t have to be looking for work to be eligible for unemployment benefits; that requirement continues to be waived, Bill Kunstman, a spokesman for the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations confirmed.

If the job search question pops up in your UI portal when you are filing or certifying a claim, you should answer “yes,” that you have looked for work, to avoid having the claim flagged by the computer system as potentially ineligible, labor officials have said since early in the pandemic. Kunstman confirmed that remains the case today.

As Hawaii’s economy steadily reopens, other readers, including a few employers, have asked when the job search requirement will be reinstated. No date has been set, Kunstman said.

Q: Regarding the vaccine, do I have to get the second shot at the same place I got my first? There are more convenient places open now.

A: No, but be sure to schedule your second dose within the recommended time frame and for the same type you received the first time (Pfizer or Moderna; Johnson & Johnson only requires one dose). Once you have rescheduled your second dose, be sure to cancel your original appointment so you can free the spot for someone else. See hawaii covid19.com/vaccine for locations.

Mahalo

Mahalo to the four angels who appeared out of nowhere to help my sister after she fell outside at the Old Stadium Square. They comforted her, got a stool for her to sit on and found a restaurant across the way that provided an ice pack. Other than a bruise to her face (and ego), she is recovering nicely. Thank you all! — Grateful sister

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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday that full enforcement of the federal REAL ID law would be delayed again, to May 3, 2023. Hawaii driver’s licenses and state identification cards with or without the “gold star” insignia will be accepted at domestic airport security lines until that date.

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.