Background

This transmittal amends Hearings, Appeals and Litigation Law (HALLEX) manual section I-3-5-30 to update procedures for routing paper claim(s) files and hearing recordings. Consistent with the decision of the Deputy Commissioner for Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) to end operations at the Office of Appellate Operations (OAO) MegaSite in Springfield, Virginia, ODAR staff now routes paper claim(s) files with the hearing recording(s) to the Social Security Administration's National Records Center in Independence, Missouri, or if the claim is favorably decided, to the appropriate effectuating component.

Explanation of Content and Changes

I-3-5-30 – In the second bullet of subsection A.4. and the fourth bullet of subsection B, we update the process for associating address search documents with a claim(s) file. We explain that when a copy of the notice of denial is returned as undeliverable, OAO staff will not request the paper claim(s) file from the storage facility. Instead, after compiling documents related to an unsuccessful search for a claimant's or representative's address, OAO staff will forward these documents to the office in possession of the claim(s) file.

Date: May 26, 2017