An announcement from Social Security:
New Developments in Disability Adjudication: Supporting Timely and Fair Decisions
Date:
Dear Colleague,
We are pleased to share several recent enhancements from Disability Adjudication (DA) that support our mission to deliver timely, policy-compliant decisions for claimants. These improvements reflect our ongoing commitment to efficiency, transparency, and collaboration with the appointed representative and advocacy community.
Good News Highlights:
- New Functionality in Appointed Representative Services (ARS): We have enhanced ARS by adding good cause statements for untimely hearing requests as a selectable option within the existing drop-down menu for representatives. Hearing offices will receive a notification when the statement is submitted. This improvement was developed in response to feedback from the representative community regarding the need to better identify and process these statements earlier in the adjudicatory process. Representatives can electronically submit the statement when filing an untimely request for hearing. Submissions are automatically routed to the appropriate B section and are now labeled within the electronic record, allowing hearing offices to quickly identify and address good cause statements, reducing the risk of unnecessary case scheduling or cases erroneously remaining on the docket.
- Centralization and Optimization of Vocational Expert (VE) Availability:The Scheduling Procedure Assistance and Resource Cadre (SPARC) team continues to improve hearing scheduling efficiency through process enhancements, updated guidelines, and better communication. As part of these efforts, VE availability processing has been centralized, ensuring consistent communication with VEs. This change has led to significantly improved docket coverage.
For general inquiries related to Hearings, please email the designated mailbox for your Hub.
Please share these updates with your colleagues and stakeholders. We appreciate your partnership and continued collaboration as we work together to further enhance the disability adjudication process.
Regards,
Jay M. Ortis
Chief
Disability Adjudication
6 comments:
For Claimants and Representatives, this is a big nothing burger. Good cause statements are rarely needed but when they are, they could always be submitted as an attachment to any appeal or, once the case is filed, using representative correspondence with Good Cause noted in note. VE availability means nothing to claimants and Representatives since there does not appear to be any shortage holding up scheduling that I can tell. Real enhancements to ARS such as being able to see real time pay status and access to award letters on line after decisions are made would actually help. Being able to submit Worker's Compensation information to payment center via electronic submission and have access to the Authorizer to make sure the information is noted would be helpful as well. Seeing status of non-medical appeals on-line such as overpayments or other issues would also be nice plus seeing status of Exceptions in AC reports as well.
Phone numbers/e-mail contacts in HUB units would be useful. Knowing who they are with no direct means of contact is not particularly helpful.
Ortis is a great leader. Only one to keep all our privileges and perks intact.
I think Ortis is a good guy. I am not privy to all the machinations in falls church or Woodlawn but I think he’s doing what he can for OHO/ODA within reason
I agree with this. Trying to make lemons out of lemonade.
It was telling that Frank posted his position through USAJobs and not a political appointee.
Oh yeah I think he’s definitely doing what he can to keep it from imploding. Unfortunately he is still subject to the demands of a whole bunch of idiots with more authority than him, so the lemonade is still quite sour.
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