Background

This transmittal amends sections I-2-3-15, I-2-3-20, and I-2-3-25 of the Hearings, Appeals and Litigation Law (HALLEX) manual to update instructions for verifying the claimant's address and to include Standard Hearings Operation Procedure (SHOP) references to the mailing guidelines for documents sent by central print and manual mail.

Explanation of Content and Changes

This transmittal revises HALLEX I-2-3-15, I-2-3-20, and I-2-3-25 to include inclusive language updates throughout each section and includes the following updates:

I-2-3-15 A – We added a reference to Standard Hearing Operations Procedure (SHOP) section 4.3.1 which provides mailing guidelines for notices mailed by central print and for notices mailed by manual mail.

I-2-3-15 B – We added language instructing Office of Hearings Operations (OHO) staff to create and associate with the B section a Report of Contact (ROC) documenting that the specified queries were run and reviewed. In the ROC, the staff member will specify the queries reviewed, provide the date they ran and reviewed the queries, and state whether the queries yielded evidence of a new address or other contact information. If so, the staff member will record the updated contact information in the ROC. Hearing office staff will not copy or otherwise include the queries in the ROC or elsewhere in the file to protect against any potential disclosure of personally identifiable information (PII) of third parties contained in the queries.

I-2-3-15 D – We clarified that the Beneficiary Control Number (BNC) appears on notices generated in the Hearings and Appeals Case Process System (HACPS) and noted that the Notice of Hearing must include a statement that the claimant must make every effort to inform us about or submit written evidence that is not already in the record no later than five business days before the scheduled hearings, unless good cause exists for missing the deadline.

I-2-3-20 A – We included a reference to HALLEX I-2-3-45 for more information on when to send a Spanish version of the Notice of Hearing Acknowledgement Form.

I-2-3-20 B – We clarified that the “Notice of Hearing Reminder” can be generated in HACPS and added HACPS to the list of systems staff should check for phone number updates. We also noted that staff must verify the identity of the claimant or representative before discussing information with them over the phone.

I-2-3-20 B.1 – We added a reference to SHOP 4.3.1 which provides mailing guidelines for notices mailed via central print and notices mailed via manual mail. We also clarified that templates related to postponements can be generated in HACPS.

I-2-3-20 B.2 – We added a reference to SHOP 4.3.1 which provides mailing guidelines for notices mailed via central print and notices mailed via manual mail and we revised the text of the Privacy Act statement to reflect recent updates

I-2-3-25 – We added a reference to SHOP 4.3.1 which provides mailing guidelines for notices sent via central print and manually mailed notices.

Date: July 1, 2024