Birth certificate lost in the mail - worst case scenario?

Factual Questions
1

I really wanted to get a Real ID when I renew my license. I got an eye apt to see if I need glasses (yes, for distance) so I won’t fail the vision test and sent for a copy of my missing birth certificate. The universe is apparently less interested in me getting the ID: my glasses are delayed, the state is having people file for license renewal extensions instead of renewing now, and my birth certificate never arrived.

The person I e-mailed today to ask if there’d been a delay due to the whole coronavirus mess responded quite apologetically about the birth certificate, saying it was sent weeks ago and swore a replacement was sent out today. Ok… honestly, I hope she was fibbing and it was just forgotten about until I brought it up.

But how big a deal is it if it really was sent and didn’t reach me?

Suppose it got misdelivered which happens monthly due to my mail person or the sorter at the office having subpar reading skills, and someone bothered to open it, and they’re not the best person like whoever ended up with and kept one of my packages in September. What nefarious things could someone do with another person’s birth certificate? It doesn’t have my SOS on it, fortunately, though I guess they do have my street address from the mailing label.

Basically, how worried should I be?

2

I wouldn’t worry about it. There is a reason why birth certificates aren’t considered proof of identity. While they are no longer quite as easy to get, they are reasonably easy to duplicate. And if you request a copy of your BC, there is really no way for the state to guarantee that you are the person referenced in the certificate.

What they are good for is to prove where you were born once your identity has been demonstrated through other means.

So don’t worry about the lost copy. Keep on the lookout for the next copy.

3

Easy to duplicate? Usually certificates with raised seals and/or holograms are the only ones accepted by official offices. I don’t believe those features are that easy to duplicate.