Progress
So today, much to my surprise, I had a letter from the McKean County Orphans' Court in my mailbox. As soon as I saw it, I knew that it was much too early for it to be good news. The government isn't nearly that efficient, I mean, I just sent these forms in on Monday to an office that still uses a typewriter to address their envelopes.
I was right. Inside were the forms that I had sent in with a post it note that said "If you were adopted in Erie County, you need to contact them, not us". So what exactly does that mean? McKean county has NO RECORD of my having been born? That is a really weird feeling, did they just erase all evidence of me? It kind of pisses me off.
So now I move on to searching in Erie County, which is a completely different process. I can send them $75 to release my non-identifying information, which is probably the same as what I already have, but there is no way for me to know except to pay the fee and get the papers. This is lame. If a non-adopted person in Pennsylvania wants a copy of their birth certificate, they can pay $10 and get it. I'm not even asking for a real legal document here. I just want them to open my file and make a copy of some papers that don't even have any names on them and I have to pay $75 for that? And that is only IF I am "approved" to have that information. What the hell? That makes me really angry.
But there's good news (I think) in all of this. It looks like I can pay $150 (that is not the good news) and they will actually search for my birthmom, contact her, and ask her if they can release her information to me. This sounds all to good to be true, so I'm going to have to call on Monday to get the details.
So, all in all, at the end of my first official week of searching...I'm at the exact same place that I was when I started searching last week.
I was right. Inside were the forms that I had sent in with a post it note that said "If you were adopted in Erie County, you need to contact them, not us". So what exactly does that mean? McKean county has NO RECORD of my having been born? That is a really weird feeling, did they just erase all evidence of me? It kind of pisses me off.
So now I move on to searching in Erie County, which is a completely different process. I can send them $75 to release my non-identifying information, which is probably the same as what I already have, but there is no way for me to know except to pay the fee and get the papers. This is lame. If a non-adopted person in Pennsylvania wants a copy of their birth certificate, they can pay $10 and get it. I'm not even asking for a real legal document here. I just want them to open my file and make a copy of some papers that don't even have any names on them and I have to pay $75 for that? And that is only IF I am "approved" to have that information. What the hell? That makes me really angry.
But there's good news (I think) in all of this. It looks like I can pay $150 (that is not the good news) and they will actually search for my birthmom, contact her, and ask her if they can release her information to me. This sounds all to good to be true, so I'm going to have to call on Monday to get the details.
So, all in all, at the end of my first official week of searching...I'm at the exact same place that I was when I started searching last week.
posted by everyscarisabridge at 8:17 PM
2 Comments:
After my son and were reunited, I decided to try to get a copy of his original birth certificate. But, he was born in one county, his adoptive parents lived in a different county and the agency was in yet another county. Finally figured out - in that particular state, records were in the county where the adoptive parents lived. So, I had to try more than one county too. But, it was very different, as we were already reunited.
I imagine that may be routine, that the adoption records, including the birth certificate, end up where the adoptive parents live. But, it probably varies from state to state. That's one of the frustrating features of searching - it is all so different in each state.
The agency that handled his adoption did a search for him ($500) and found me. He is in a state with the Intermediary system. It took them 9 months to find me (I had moved several times cross-country in 32 years and married several times). I have heard others than it's taken much less time - some it has taken longer. I believe that agencies can only search in states that have the intermediary system. Not totally sure though about that.
It SHOULD tick you off that adopted people have to jump through so many hoops to get their own birth and adoption records. It's just plain wrong!
Here's a link that you might find useful.
http://hometown.aol.com/gshay/
Yeah, but the good news quickly becomes really annoying when you think you have to get your mommy's permission to see documents about you. (Who me? bitter?)
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