From a notice that Social Security posted online but has not promoted:
New online service - Electronic filing of a representative's notice of appointment On February 22, we released a new service to allow representatives to initiate an SSA-1696 notice of appointment online where they and their claimants can complete, sign and submit the form electronically with no personal contact. This is a two-step process the representative must initiate. Once the claimant completes the second step and submits the signed document, the service will automatically route the document for processing. This service will help expedite the appointment process and give representatives and claimants flexibility. We will continue to accept submissions of appointment notices via mail, eFax, or uploaded through our filing portals and Electronic Records Express as before. The link to the e1696 is located at the top left of this page, so be sure to bookmark it!
And this is the link to the e1696. I haven't tried it yet but I'm told it's not working, which may be why they're not promoting it.
Update: Social Security just posted this today:
How will SSA process my notice of appointment while emergency procedures are in place?
Date:
Beginning March 11, 2021, we have revised our temporary procedures to allow you to use different methods to sign the notice of appointment of a representative and fee agreement, if the fee agreement is submitted with the new notice of appointment, during the current COVID-19 health emergency. During this time, if we receive an appointment document such as the Form SSA-1696, on its own or along with an SSA-8000, SSA-8001, SSA-L2, SSA-820, SSA-821, SSA-827, or SSA-455 form, and your signature appears to be an electronic or digital signature, we will make three attempts to contact you to verify your identity and confirm the signature. If we verify your identity and signature, we will process the appointment as usual. If the first attempt to reach you by telephone is unsuccessful, we also will send a call-in letter to you and the representative you requested. If we cannot reach you and you do not return our call, or do not verify the signature, we will return the paperwork to the person who submitted it without recognizing the appointment.
We also have temporary procedures in place permitting you to verbally appoint a representative during a “remote” telephone hearing with an administrative law judge, if you submit a written notice of appointment afterwards. In this case, we will accept an electronic signature on the written appointment notice, without needing to call you again.
7 comments:
Our firm saw that as well. POMS (at our last viewing) still says that a wet (real) signature is required.
Interesting...
I'm wondering how many attorney's and reps are having the same trouble getting appointed to cases as I am having in my area. I have cases I filed back in August that I still have not received confirmations of appointment on. I'm probably getting one in ten new 1696's acknowledged by SSA District office right now. This is a fiasco as far as representing your client. It leaves you totally in the dark. I have tried calling and have been told that they have my forms but I get no mail from DDD and no communication whatsoever. When I try to do checks through Appointed Representative Services I get access denied and have to stop before too many tries get me thrown out of the system. I see a crisis in representation right now and potential ineffective client representation because in my area SSA is a black hole right. No matter how much you send in nothing comes back out. I hate to be conspiratorial but I have read of the prior Administration's sabotage of the Immigration Court system. I have to ask the question if this crisis is being used to engage in a stealth attempt to freeze representatives out until after the first denial and to discourage initial claimants. The process to get into a case as a representative must be made easier and more efficient. They see we are in it when we do the electronic filing. This is ridiculous.
What good is the e1696 if you cannot attach a Fee Agreement to it? If you submit it separately 6 times out of 10 it will not be associated and it will be a forever problem.
I had a case that was at AC. Illiterate client called SSA to "check on her case" and see why she could not get approved. They allowed her to re-apply (case still at AC), said they got approval for 827, said she did not have an attorney. I got AC denial and filed in fed court (claimant still responding to my calls and letters). Found out about this re-application when client called complaining about her CE appointment to me. No one at DO will fess up to what happened. Unnamed source provided me date of denial on this re-application and I filed reconsideration in the nick of time.
If anything, even if it worked, this process requiring the back and forth with counsel and the need for a client to respond to an email and understand how to use Adobe to electronically sign is beyond stupid.
The Attorney ID is already linked to every attorney's representation inf. If you simply can include that in the application and at least get the representative on record and then allow forms to be uploaded as we do at OHO, it would be much better.
It's almost like they designed a system and never bothered to ask the people that will have to use it whether or not it would work.
Of course, they did the same with microsoft teams and the new style video hearings. Did it occur to anyone that what works with staff in trials with people that know how to work computers and have good wifi might not do so well with people with slow phones, limited minutes, and no wifi.
This is great news even if we can only use it with our computer savvy clients.
I don't understand what took SSA so long. It has long been a mystery to me as to why the Form 1695 could not have been done online years ago by the registered reps rather than having someone from SSA key in the information. I look forward to the day when NOTHING needs to be mailed or faxed to the field office and everything is done online. I believe this would also reduce the burden on the SSA employees.
anon@4:37pm,
"It's almost like they designed a system and never bothered to ask the people that will have to use it whether or not it would work. "
This is how SSA designs all of their systems, both for internal and external use. Why do you feel you should be any more special than all of the SSA employees that they don't bother to listen to when they design this crap?
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