DMV computer troubles top constituent concerns at Rep. Kaye Kory’s ‘office hours’

If you’re trying to get a driver’s license renewed, good luck. Due to computer troubles at Virginia’s data center, the state’s DMV offices have been unable to process driver’s licenses and ID cards. When the service is resumed, you can expect big crowds, as the DMV reports the last week of the month is usually busy, and August is the busiest month.

State Rep. Kaye Kory, who heard from several constituents about the issue at her “drop-in community hours” session Aug. 28, said the problem isn’t expected to be fixed until Wednesday. One constituent told Kory his driver’s license is expiring and the DMV refused to offer an extension. Another local resident needed an ID for her son so he could participate in a sports competition. “There was no option for a waiver and the DMV had no back-up plan,” Kory says.

According to the DMV, eligible customers can use PINs to update their records, print a temporary driver’s licenses, and order a permanent driver’s license in the mail. However, due to computer system problems, license production could take up to 15 days. Before you go the DMV next week, visit the DMV website or call 804/497-7100 to see if service is restored.

At the Saturday morning session at the newly renovated Thomas Jefferson Library in Falls Church, Kory was joined by Fairfax County School Board members Sandy Evans (Mason District) and Patricia Reed (Providence District).

Organizers of the Lincoln at the Crossroads Alliance presented an update of their plans and spoke with Reed and Evans about involving Fairfax County students in the event. The alliance is planning a major re-enactment in November 2011 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of President Lincoln’s review of the troops at Bailey’s Crossroads.

Other constituents spoke about the needs for more funding for education and for more nutritious school lunches and breakfasts and raised concerns about parking and traffic on Seminary Road and adjacent streets due to the BRAC-133 project at Mark Center. The project will bring 6,400 new employees, most of them working at a new Defense Department facility, to the area, and Kory conceded the traffic situation “is going to be a nightmare.”

Kory’s next office hours will be Thursday, Sept. 9, 1-3 p.m., in the conference room in the Woodrow Wilson Library, 6101 Knollwood Drive, Falls Church.