Background

We are amending chapter I-4-3 of the Hearings, Appeals and Litigation Law (HALLEX) manual to reflect recent organizational assignments in the Office of Appellate Operations (OAO). These changes are necessary due to the growth of the Appeals Council and the difficulty in maintaining up-to-date information. Additionally, as a security measure, we are taking additional steps to protect OAO managers.

The changes will eliminate the need to revise HALLEX when an internal management change is made and will provide information to the public that is consistent with information already published on www.ssa.gov. We added information and made editorial changes to the provisions.

Explanation of Content and Changes

This transmittal revises I-4-3-103 and I-4-3-104 as follows:

I-4-3-103 – We removed the contact information previously included in the provision and replaced it with a link to an internally accessible site. We also made other editorial changes.

I-4-3-104 – We revised the information available for public use. We deleted the names of branch chiefs and removed the phone numbers for individual branches. We replaced the deleted information with the instructions currently found on www.ssa.gov. We also clarified when it is appropriate to use branch fax numbers, and made other editorial changes.

Date: June 21, 2013