I am 26 or older and now I’m disqualified from certain government benefits and programs because I never registered with the Selective Service. What can I do?

It depends on 2 factors — (1) whether you had good reason for not registering, and (2) what program or benefit you are applying for.

HOW FAILURE TO REGISTER WITH THE SELECTIVE SERVICE
MAY IMPACT YOUR ABILITY TO RECEIVE PUBLIC BENEFITS

YOUR REASON FOR NOT REGISTERING

IMPACT ON YOUR ABILITY TO GET PUBLIC BENEFITS

. . . You were incarcerated between the ages of 18 and 26.

You may be able to prove that you should qualify for the benefits or programs you are trying to get. To do this, you must fill out a form requesting a “Status Information Letter” from the Selective Service System. (See Appendix L, PG. 120.) You will have to list the dates during which you were incarcerated, and attach any documents that show when and where you were incarcerated. If you can prove that you were incarcerated during the relevant time, the Selective Service System will send you an official letter stating that you were not required to register. If you show this letter to the benefit-issuing agency to which you are applying, it can’t legally deny you benefits because of your Selective Service status.

. . . You didn’t know about the registration requirement, OR mistakenly believed it didn’t apply to youOR. . . You thought you were already registered, but the Selective Service has no record of your registration

You may still be eligible for government benefits if you can prove to the benefit-issuing agency that you did not “knowingly or willfully” fail to register.[289] The agency handling your case — NOT the Selective Service System — is in charge of deciding whether you have provided enough proof.[290]

You must send the benefit-issuing agency certain documents as proof.

    First, you must request a “Status Information Letter” (see PG. 75) from the Selective Service System, which summarizes your status with the Selective Service.[291]
    Second, send this letter along with a detailed “explanation letter” stating in your own words why you didn’t register.[292] This letter should include any information that might be relevant to the agency’s decision — such as where you were living between the ages of 18 and 25, if you you wrongly believed you had already registered, and/or why you didn’t know about the registration requirement.[293]
    To present the most persuasive case, you should provide any documentation you have that supports your story.
  1. 289

    See Men Cannot Register after Reaching Age 26, Selective Serv. Sys., http://www.sss.gov/FSmen.htm. For information about student financial aid, see 34 C.F.R. § 668.37(d)(2)(i); 34 C.F.R. § 668.37(e); U.S. Dep’t of Educ. & Fed. Student Aid, 2014-2015 Federal Student Aid Handbook. ↑

  2. 290

    See Men Cannot Register after Reaching Age 26, Selective Serv. Sys., http://www.sss.gov/FSmen.htm; see also Men 26 and Older, Selective Serv. Sys., http://www.sss.gov/Status.html. ↑

  3. 291

    The Status Information Letter will include a code that summarizes the Selective Serving’s findings in your case. Different codes correspond to different categories. For example, the Selective Service might include a code indicating that you were sent a letter to inform you of the registration requirement, but that it was returned by the post office as undeliverable. See U.S. Dep’t of Educ. & Fed. Student Aid, 2014-2015 Federal Student Aid Handbook. ↑

  4. 292

    See Request for Status Information Letter, Selective Serv. Sys., http://www.sss.gov/PDFs/PrinterFriendly/status.pdf. ↑

  5. 293

    See U.S. Dep’t of Educ. & Fed. Student Aid, 2014-2015 Federal Student Aid Handbook. ↑