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What is FIT?
The Findings Integrated Templates (FIT) is designed to improve the quality and consistency of Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) decisions. The FIT approach integrates the findings of fact into the body of the decision.
In conjunction with the electronic disability process, representatives may now submit proposed FIT draft decisions using the attachments below. If an Administrative Law Judge agrees with your proposed decision, the hearing office staff will be able to easily convert the information and rationale contained in the document into a FIT favorable decision, assuming the document has been completed correctly.
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IMPORTANT NOTICE! |
Major changes on how Representatives prepare FIT draft decisions. |
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We previously provided representatives the same software used by our Hearing Office employees to prepare fully favorable FIT decisions. However, the software proved difficult in practice for some representatives to use, and we could not offer systems support. Therefore, we are providing a revised FIT Fully Favorable draft decision template.
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The new FIT files contain a Microsoft Word© template so that representatives can easily prepare proposed fully favorable decisions.
If an ALJ approves the representative's proposed draft decision document, Hearing Office staff may use the corresponding FIT template to convert the proposed draft decision into a fully favorable decision. To assist the Hearing Office staff in transferring the information into a fully favorable decision, please ensure that you have included all relevant data and sufficient analysis in the proposed draft decision document.
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Download
FIT Proposed Decision Template |
Available FIT Proposed Decisions:
NOTE: The computer hardware/software requirements to properly run the FIT Proposed Draft Decisions are the following: Microsoft Office Word and Access (version 2007 or later), a 500 megahertz processor or higher, 256 megabytes of Random Access Memory, and Windows XP with Service Pack 3 or later operating system. |
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How to Submit a Proposed Draft Decision Using the New FIT Documents? |
The instructions are outlined below.
- Create a new Word document using the FIT Fully Favorable Decision template.
- Save the FIT Fully Favorable Decision template as a Word document to a CD using your client's last name as the file name.
- If you are a registered user of the Appointed Representative Services (ARS) (www.socialsecurity.gov/ar/), you may submit the template electronically. Select "On the Record Request" (OTRQRST) as the document type, to ensure that the hearing office reviews your request promptly.
| NOTE: To protect individual's personally identifiable information and prevent identity theft, representatives should not send any decisions electronically. Any e-mail containing attachments from a representative will be deleted upon receipt. |
- If you do not provide the document via ARS, submit the CD and a hard copy of the proposed draft decision document to the assigned ALJ by mail or direct delivery (no email). The Hearing Office will not return the CD to the representative. After the ALJ reviews the representative's submission, the Hearing Office will destroy the CD containing the proposed decisional draft.
Please direct any questions or inquiries to FIT Feedback.
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www.socialsecurity.gov
