I-4-0-30.Special Procedures for Critical Cases
Last Update: 1/13/17 (Transmittal I-4-61)
A. Critical Case Designation
The Claimant and Public Assistance Branch (CPAB) is responsible for designating critical cases and monitoring the Office of Appellate Operations (OAO) pending critical case workload. Court Case Preparation and Review Branch (CCPRB) branch chiefs (BC) are responsible for ensuring that critical cases assigned to their branches are promptly processed. CCPRB staff is responsible for bringing to the BC's attention any case that may meet the criteria in HALLEX I-3-1-5 A.
See instructions in HALLEX I-3-1-5 B for adding, removing, and monitoring critical case designations.
B. CCPRB Case Processing
1. Assigning the Case
See HALLEX I-3-1-5 C.1.
2. Appeals Council Final Action
a. Fully or Partially Favorable Appeals Council Decision
The BC must notify CPAB when the Appeals Council (AC) issues a fully or partially favorable decision in a Terminal Illness (TERI), Veteran 100 Percent Permanent and Total (VPAT), Military Casualty/Wounded Warrior (MC/WW), or Compassionate Allowance (CAL) case by sending an email to ^DCARO OAO CPAB.
A certified administrative record (CAR) may be needed when the AC issues a partially favorable decision. See generally HALLEX I-4-2-1. When required, the CAR must be prepared before the case is forwarded for effectuation. The AC will not prepare a certified supplemental court transcript or CAR when the AC issues a fully favorable decision following a sentence six remand. However, the AC will submit a copy of the decision to the Office of the General Counsel for filing with the district court to close out the civil action.
b. Denial, Dismissal, or Unfavorable Decision
The BC must notify CPAB when the AC issues an unfavorable action by sending an email to ^DCARO OAO CPAB.
CCPRB staff will follow normal procedures when releasing the action document and preparing the CAR, if necessary.
c. Remand
The BC must notify CPAB by sending an email to ^DCARO OAO CPAB when the AC remands a critical case to an administrative law judge. The AC will expedite standard procedures for releasing the remand order, and when a paper file is involved, the AC will forward the file(s) to the hearing office by the most expeditious means practical. For paper TERI, VPAT, MC/WW, or CAL cases, the AC will clearly annotate all transmittals and envelopes “TERI,” “VPAT,” “MC/WW,” or “CAL” case.