Applying for a number you will remember for life will be easier under a change in application procedures by the Social Security Administration.

The application process for a social security number for newborns has been reduced to a single signature.

The new process of enumeration at birth allows a natural parent to apply for his or her child's number when filing for a birth certificate, said Charles D. Moran, social security manager for the State College area.

When the parent signs a section of the birth certificate application at the hospital, the child's information is transferred to the Bureau of Vital Statistics for processing. The social security number is then assigned, Moran said.

A Centre Community Hospital public relations secretary said most parents have been taking advantage of this option since it became available last fall.

For anyone who does not have a number, Moran warns them to be wary of companies offering to charge for help in filing the application. Social Security provides the service for free.

"It is totally free to get a form to apply for a card . . . The companies can not process the application, we have to do it," he said.

Having a number makes a person eligible for not only retirement and disability benefits but also makes it easier to find jobs.

"When you try to find a job, you will not get hired without it," Moran said.

Employees must have a social security number so their employers can process social security and other federal and state taxes, he said.

Moran said it is important to contact the social security office for the following reasons:

-- Before beginning your first job if you do not already have a number. The office needs two weeks to process the information and give out a number.

-- After a death in the family to check if the survivors may receive benefits.

-- When someone in the family becomes disabled to check on benefits.

-- On your 62nd birthday to find out about reduced retirement benefits and on your 65th birthday for information on full-rate benefits.