September 11 the catalyst behind new West Virginia license requirements

Beginning this week, West Virginia residents will need to provide three separate documents in order to get their licenses renewed or replaced. Accepted papers include proof of identity, Social Security and state residency. According to West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles commissioner Joe Miller, the changes were made in response to the September 11 al-Qaida attacks,  as several of the terrorists had fraudulent driver's licenses that allowed them to enroll in American flight schools. The new system will protect against the use of fraudulent identity verification. "Now the requirement is to have the documents scanned into the system," Miller told the Charleston Gazette. "That's a big change - and one that will make your trip to the DMV longer." West Virginia will use federal dollars to fund the change because its old driver's license program expired one month earlier than other states. Approximately 23,000 licenses will need to be renewed each month over the next five years.