My South Dakota Address

If anyone reads this entry who is debating about where to establish residency while living on the road full time, let me recommend South Dakota. You can't beat the costs of the mail forwarding services plus all the little details they take care of for you, and vehicle registration and getting a drivers license is a breeze.

Dealing with any governmental agency, federal, state, or local, is much easier with a local office that is not in a heavy populated metropolitan area. I found the same to be true when I lived in the Asheville, NC area, although I couldn't vouch for what it's like in Charlotte or Raleigh. My experiences with the Social Security Admin are a good example. When I registered for Medicare at the Asheville office, I was taken care of quickly and efficiently. Any questions I had were cheerfully answered, and the person I spoke with went out of her way to be helpful. Try that in any big city.

I needed to get in touch with Social Security today to change my mailing address, as they still had the old one on record, and my Medicare summary statement are still being sent to my old NC address. Since I am a Federal retiree and don't get social security benefits, I couldn't use the online change of address service. I hunted for some time around their website but never could do it because I'm not currently receiving benefits.

After much frustration on the phone trying to reach someone who could assist me, I was nearly in a rage of frustration listening to all those stupid voice prompts and never accomplishing anything. I decided to look up the South Dakota office and got the phone # for Sioux Falls. Bingo! The gentleman with whom I spoke took care of the address change in a matter of minutes, plus answered some other questions for me.

I've also had occasion to call the South Dakota DMV as well as Voter Registration. So far, everyone I've dealt with in that state has been super and has gotten straight to the heart of the matter or problem. So here is a big thanks to South Dakota and the people who live and work there.

I took my truck for an oil change this morning, as I needed a break from trying to deal with Social Security. I can always tell the difference right after an oil change - and she's humming right along. Even though it's not easy to navigate through parking lots with all their concrete barriers, I feel more at ease driving that truck than with a smaller vehicle.