[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 148 (Friday, August 1, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41457-41458]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-20392]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION


Testing Modifications to the Disability Determination Procedures; 
Federal Processing Center Testing

AGENCY: Social Security Administration.

ACTION: Notice of an additional test site and the duration of testing 
involving modifications to the disability determination procedures.

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SUMMARY: The Social Security Administration (SSA) is announcing the 
location of additional testing that it will conduct under the current 
rules at 20 CFR 404.906, 404.943, 416.1406, and 416.1443. Those rules 
authorize the testing of several modifications to the disability 
determination procedures that we normally follow in adjudicating claims 
for disability insurance benefits under title II of the Social Security 
Act (the Act) and claims for supplemental security income based on 
disability under title XVI of the Act. This notice announces the test 
site and duration of testing involving a combination of features of the 
proposed redesigned disability process. The notice also describes 
additional features that will allow us to test the effectiveness of 
processing cases under a combination of the models in a Federal 
processing center.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Harry Pippin, Disability Models Team 
Leader, Office of Disability, Disability Process Redesign Staff, Social 
Security Administration, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 
21235, 410-965-9203.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Current regulations at 20 CFR Secs. 404.906, 
404.943, 416.1406, and 416.1443 authorize us to test different 
modifications to the disability determination procedures. We describe 
the use of four features of the testing modifications to the disability 
determination procedures as the full process model. Those modifications 
are: the use of a single decisionmaker who may make the disability 
determination without requiring the signature of a medical consultant; 
the conducting of a predecisional interview in which a claimant, for 
whom SSA does not have sufficient information to make a fully favorable 
determination or for whom the evidence would require an initial 
determination denying the claim, can present additional information to 
the decisionmaker before an initial determination is made; the 
elimination

[[Page 41458]]

of the reconsideration step in the administrative review process; and 
the use of an adjudication officer who will conduct prehearing 
procedures and, if appropriate, will issue a decision wholly favorable 
to the claimant.
    On April 4, 1997, we published in the Federal Register (62 FR 
16209) a notice that testing of this model would take place at the 
SSA's Western Program Service Center in Richmond, California. That 
testing was to begin on or about April 28, 1997, and case selection was 
to continue for approximately one year with cases processed for an 
additional six months. We stated that additional federal sites might be 
added later.
    We are now announcing that testing also will take place at the 
following site: Social Security Administration, Office of Disability 
and International Operations, 1500 Woodlawn Drive, Baltimore, MD 21241. 
The test in Baltimore will involve claims by individuals who wish to 
file by telephone. These cases will be referred to the Baltimore 
processing center by teleservice centers that service residents of 
Kentucky. We will begin selecting cases for processing in this test on 
or about August 11, 1997, will continue to select cases for 
approximately one year, and may continue to have cases processed for an 
additional six months. In addition, we may choose to extend the test to 
obtain additional data. We will publish another notice in the Federal 
Register if we extend the duration of the test. We may add other 
Federal sites later. If we add other Federal sites, we will publish 
another notice in the Federal Register identifying the added sites.
    This test will combine the four process modifications mentioned 
above, plus two features designed to maximize the resources of a 
Federal processing center: having a two-person team complete the 
application interview by telephone; and effectuating, in the processing 
center, the payment of benefits to claimants who are found disabled. 
The adjudication officers under this model will process cases as they 
are doing in those States in which that feature is being tested 
separately. (Refer to 20 CFR Secs. 404.943 and 416.1443.) The single 
decisionmaker will process cases as single decisionmakers are doing in 
those States in which that feature is being tested separately (see 20 
CFR Secs. 404.906(b)(2) and 416.1406(b)(2)), except that the single 
decisionmaker in this model also will assist in the claims interview 
and will offer a predecisional interview to a claimant for whom a fully 
favorable determination cannot be made based on the initial information 
obtained. If a claimant is dissatisfied with the initial determination, 
he or she may appeal directly to an administrative law judge. The 
adjudication officer will be the claimant's primary point of contact 
before a hearing is held with an administrative law judge. Claims 
authorizers will participate in the telephone claims interview and will 
effectuate payment to claimants who are found disabled.

    Dated: July 28, 1997.
Glenna Donnelly,
Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Programs and Policy.
[FR Doc. 97-20392 Filed 7-31-97; 8:45 am]
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