Comment from Ward, Matthew, SSA/ODAR

As a scheduler for the Charlottesville ODAR, and having dealt with this issue personally, I recently did the legal analysis and put together a document to explain to and help myself understand this process correctly, despite the grey area resultant from an outdated HALLEX and a yearly updated CFR (not to mention a tremendously strong "current" towards technology). Please find that file attached. My personal experience with this issue lends itself in support of these changes, and I foresee the potentiality for success with them. However, I would add that in order to maximize these changes' chances of success, the additional consideration could be made that the Video Decline notifications (from claimant to SSA) be handled along with the Request for Hearing paperwork such that a file comes from the DDS or FOs to the HO flagged as "video declined."