[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 22 (Thursday, February 1, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3757-3758]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-2157]
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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
Prehearings Conducted by Adjudication Officers; Testing of New
Procedures
AGENCY: Social Security Administration.
ACTION: Notice of the test sites and the duration of tests involving
prehearing procedures and decisions by Adjudication Officers.
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SUMMARY: The Social Security Administration (SSA) is announcing the
locations and the duration of additional tests it will conduct under
the final rules published in the Federal Register on September 13, 1995
(60 FR 47469). These final rules authorize the testing of procedures to
be conducted by an adjudication officer, who, under the Plan for a New
Disability Claim Process published in the Federal Register on September
19, 1994 (59 FR 47887), would be the focal point for all prehearing
activities. Under the final rules, when a request for a hearing before
an administrative law judge is requested, the adjudication officer will
conduct prehearing procedures and, if appropriate, issue a decision
wholly favorable to the claimant.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Glenn-Croft, Appeals Team Leader,
Disability Process Redesign Team, Social Security Administration, 6401
Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21235, 410-966-8331.
[[Page 3758]]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 1, 1995, we announced in the
Federal Register our intent to begin tests on or about November 1, 1995
of the procedures to be conducted by an adjudication officer (60 FR
55642). At that time we identified nine test sites; all of the test
sites listed in that notice were in State Agencies which make
disability determinations for us. We are now planning additional tests
of the adjudication officer procedures and at this time we are
announcing an additional 17 test sites. All of these additional test
sites are offices of the Social Security Administration. We plan to
begin these tests on or about February 1, 1996. We will continue these
tests for approximately 12 months. The sites selected present a mix of
geographic areas and case loads. We expect that these tests, together
with the tests already being conducted in State Agencies, will provide
us with sufficient information to determine the effect of the
adjudication officer position on the administrative review process. We
will publish another notice in the Federal Register if we extend the
duration of any of the tests or expand further the number of test
sites. The tests discussed in this notice will be conducted at the
following seventeen Social Security Administration locations:
SSA, Office of Hearings and Appeals, 555 Main Street,
Suite 900, Norfolk, VA 23510
SSA, District Office, 2600 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
90057
SSA, District Office, 500 Gene Reed Road, Suite 218,
Birmingham, AL 35215
SSA, District Office, 8585 W 14th Ave, Lakewood, CO 80215
SSA, Office of Hearings and Appeals, American Financial
Center, Building #1 Suite 300, 2400 Louisiana NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110
SSA, Office of Hearings and Appeals, 1642 Kentucky Ave,
Paducah, KY 42001
SSA, District Office, 401 South State Street, Suite 800,
Chicago, IL 60605
SSA, District Office, 200 North High Street, Rm 225,
Columbus, OH 43215
SSA, Office of Hearings and Appeals, 1001 Office Park Rd,
Suite 305, West Des Moines, IA 50265
SSA, District Office, 380 Westminster Mall, Room 318,
Providence, RI 02903
SSA, District Office, 30 Quaker Lane, 1st floor, Warwick,
RI 02886
SSA, Western Payment Service Center, 1221 Nevin Ave,
Richmond, CA 94801
SSA, Office of Hearings and Appeals, 26 Federal Plaza
Room 3954, New York, NY 10278
SSA, Office of Hearings and Appeals, Federal Building
Room 3-B, 300 West Congress St, Tucson, AZ 85701
SSA, San Patricio Branch Office, Rexam BLDG 7th floor,
1510 Roosevelt Avenue, Guaynabo, PR 00968
SSA, Office of Hearings and Appeals, Suite 300, 1500
Valley River Drive, Eugene, OR 97401
SSA, Office of Disability and International Operations
(ODIO), 3-B-21 Tower, 1500 Security Drive, Baltimore, MD 21241
Not all hearing requests received in the test sites listed above
will be handled under the test procedures. However, if a request for a
hearing is selected to be handled by an adjudication officer as part of
the test, the claim will be processed under the procedures established
under the final regulations cited above. We currently plan to conduct
these alone; they will not be conducted in combination with one or more
of the tests we plan to conduct pursuant to the final rules ``Testing
Modifications to the Disability Determination Procedures'' published in
the Federal Register on April 24, 1995 (60 FR 20023). However, if we
test the use of the adjudication officer in combination with the
provisions of the final rules on ``Testing Modifications to the
Disability Determination Procedures,'' we will publish the locations
and dates of the tests in the Federal Register.
Dated: January 26, 1996.
Charles A. Jones,
Director, Disability Process Redesign Team.
[FR Doc. 96-2157 Filed 1-31-96; 8:45 am]
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