Background

This transmittal amends chapter I-3-0 of the Hearings, Appeals and Litigation Law (HALLEX) manual to update information and better distinguish between the Office of Appellate Operations (OAO) and the Appeals Council.

Explanation of Content and Changes

HALLEX I-3-0 is amended as follows:

I-3-0-1 – We changed the title to “General Description of the Office of Appellate Operations and Appeals Council” and incorporated information previously in HALLEX I-3-0-1, I-3-0-2, and I-3-0-3. We made minor editorial changes to the information, including removing duplicative information and inserting cross references to applicable HALLEX instructions. We also updated information to reflect that the Executive Director of OAO will now act as the Chair of the Appeals Council.

I-3-0-2 – We removed the section in its entirety as the information was incorporated in HALLEX I-3-0-1.

I-3-0-3 – We removed the section in its entirety as the information was incorporated in HALLEX I-3-0-1.

Date: April 29, 2016