Background

This transmittal amends section I-3-8-12 of the Hearings, Appeals and Litigation Law (HALLEX) manual to update procedures for requesting an appearance before the Appeals Council.

Explanation of Content and Changes

I-3-8-12 – We updated subsection D.1 to reflect regulatory changes to 20 CFR 404.976(b) and 416.1476(b). We updated the subsections for consistency with new regulatory language. Specifically, we updated the instructions to reflect when the AC will conduct a hearing by telephone, and that the AC will determine how any other person relevant to the proceeding will appear based on the circumstances described in 20 CFR 404.936(c)(4) and 416.1436(c)(4). We also made minor editiorial changes throughout the provision.

Date: January 21, 2020