Last Update: 6/30/05 (Transmittal I-1-55)
The Division of Congressional and Public Inquiries (DCPI) serves as the primary liaison between the Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) and Members of Congress on case- related matters. The DCPI staff prepares responses to both routine and sensitive written and telephone inquiries, formulates correspondence guidelines, and monitors the quality of congressional responses released by OHA. The Division of Congressional and Public Inquiries' work is critical to ensuring good relations between OHA and Congress.
DCPI is responsible for receiving and responding to telephone calls from Members of Congress and their staffs.
NOTE:
If an employee in another OHA Headquarters component, excluding the Executive Secretariat (ES), receives a telephone call from a congressperson or a congressional staff member regarding a pending OHA case, the call should be referred to DCPI at (703) 605-8000.
The Social Insurance Specialists (Specialists) in DCPI process the congressional inquiries received by telephone, as follows:
If a congressional staff member requests only general information or indicates he or she does not need follow-up status reports, or if the staff member is referred to another office, there is no need to prepare a report of contact (RC). These calls are recorded as a stroke tally on the "Closed Without Write-Up Calls" form.
When a congressional telephone inquiry is received in DCPI about a case pending with OHA, a Specialist obtains a CICS query and prepares an RC. The RC includes the congressperson's and staff member's names, their telephone number, and the claimant's name and Social Security number. The RC also notes exactly what type of information the staff member is requesting.
If there is no PCOM summary query attached to the RC, an Inquiries Assistant (IA) obtains a PCOM summary printout and attaches it to the RC.
An IA obtains a pre-update search on the Inquiry Response Information System (IRIS) to determine if any previous inquiries have been received on the case.
An Operations Analyst reviews the RCs and places an Optical System for Correspondence Analysis and Response (OSCAR) subject-matter coding sheet on the inquiry folder, indicating the pending level of adjudication and the subject matter of the inquiry.
Inquiries are assigned to DCPI staff on a rotating basis. However, if a DCPI employee has an open or closed inquiry about the case, the telephone call is assigned to that employee.
An IA inputs on the IRIS and the OSCAR systems the name of the person to whom the case is assigned and annotates the Specialist's code and the date of assignment on the hard copies of these systems forms.
After an inquiry is assigned, the Specialist uses the available queries (PCOM, CPMS, ACAPS, LOTS, etc.) to provide status and when necessary refers the caller to the appropriate field office.
If the case is pending in an Office of Appellate Operations (OAO) Disability Program Branch (DPB) or Retirement and Survivors and Supplemental Security Income Branch (RSI and SSI Branch), the Specialist:
Advises the DPB or RSI and SSI Branch that there is congressional interest by sending a yellow DCPI Case Flag, Form HA-282, to be attached to the front of the CF at the lower right corner, and DCPI activates the electronic congressional flag on ACAPS.
Forwards to the DPB or RSI and SSI Branch any pertinent information provided by the congressional staff member regarding the case.
NOTE:
The DPB and RSI and SSI Branch staffs are responsible for routing congressional interest CFs through DCPI when they are sent to an Administrative Appeals Judge (AAJ) with a grant review notice, final action or final reply.
If the case is pending in an Office of Appellate Operations (OAO) Court Case Processing and Review Branch (CCPRB), the Specialist:
Obtains current status from available LOTS or ACAPS queries until CCPRB takes its action on the case.
Must periodically check the queries until the case is closed because new court cases are not routed through DCPI.
The Specialist calls the congressional staff member back within 48 hours of the original call, conveys case status, and advises that DCPI will provide status reports every 60 to 90 days, as well as a written response when the Appeals Council issues its action, order or decision.
If the inquiry concerns a case pending in an HO, the Specialist advises the congressional staff member of the status and that we have informed the HO staff of the congressional interest. The Specialist then forwards the inquiry to the HO for further responses, including a written final reply.
The Specialist annotates the RC with the information provided to the congressional staff member and updates the IRIS and OSCAR forms with the response code and the date.
An IA inputs the IRIS and OSCAR systems information.
For cases pending in an OAO DPB or RSI and SSI Branch, the Specialist continues to provide 60 or 90-day telephone status responses until DCPI receives the CF en route to an AAJ. The Specialist then prepares a written response based on the OAO Analyst's recommendation to the AAJ. The final response will be released by a legal assistant located in the DPB or RSI and SSI Branch when the final action, order or decision is released.
The Specialist places the written response in a red congressional inquiry folder and reattaches the yellow flag to the front of the red folder. The flag is annotated to request a legal assistant in the DPB or RSI and SSI Branch to date-stamp and return the flag to DCPI when the congressional response has been released. The Specialist annotates the OSCAR and IRIS forms with the AAJ's code and routes the CF to the AAJ.
When the Specialist receives the congressional flag showing that the response has been released, he or she annotates the IRIS and OSCAR systems sheets to show that a final letter has been released. An IA updates the IRIS and OSCAR systems.
The Division of Congressional and Public Inquiries handles written congressional inquiries about pending appeals cases. It also refers, as necessary, inquiries about cases pending at the hearing level, at another SSA component or at another Government agency to the appropriate office.
NOTE:
Forward all written congressional inquiries to DCPI, unless they are received in ES and ES determines that it should handle.
Guidelines for processing written congressional inquiries are as follows:
The DCPI mail clerk opens the mail, date-stamps all congressional inquiries, and obtains CICS summary queries.
An IRIS pre-update search is obtained to determine if any DCPI employee has an open or closed inquiry on the case.
An Operations Analyst (OA) reviews the congressional inquiries and places an OSCAR subject-matter coding sheet, which indicates the level of adjudication and subject of the inquiry, on the control folders.
An OA also screens the inquiries and determines which should be referred to ES because of policy questions, processing time questions, personnel matters, etc. These inquiries also have an OSCAR coding sheet attached to the control folder. They are then assigned to ES on the OSCAR system and routed to that office for a response or for assignment to another component.
Invitations and thank-you letters to the Associate Commissioner are forwarded directly to the Associate Commissioner's office and are not controlled on the OSCAR and IRIS systems.
Inquiries are assigned to Specialists on a rotating basis. An OA screens the inquiries for allegations of dire need, threats, or terminal illness that may require expedited case processing. However, if a DCPI employee has an open or closed inquiry on the case, the inquiry is assigned to that employee.
The IRIS and OSCAR systems are updated to include the name of the person to whom the case is assigned and the Specialist's code. The date of assignment is annotated on the hard copies of these systems forms.
After an inquiry is assigned, the Specialist checks all the appropriate queries (PCOM, CPMS, ACAPS, LOTS, etc.) to obtain status and if necessary, contacts the appropriate OHA, SSA or other office to obtain the requested information.
If the case is pending in an OAO DPB or RSI and SSI Branch, the DCPI Specialist:
Activates the electronic congressional flag on ACAPS and sends DPB or RSI and SSI Branch a yellow DCPI Case Flag, Form HA-282, to be attached to the front of the CF at the lower right hand corner.
Forwards to the DPB or RSI and SSI Branch any additional medical or other information attached to the congressional inquiry for association with the CF.
NOTE:
The DPB or RSI and SSI Branch staffs are responsible for routing congressional interest CFs through DCPI when the CFs are sent to an AAJ with a grant review notice, final action or final reply.
If the case is pending in a CCPRB, the Specialist:
Checks the LOTS query to obtain status and activates the electronic congressional flag on ACAPS if a record is established.
Checks every 60 to 90 days to obtain updated status reports until the CCPRB completes its action on the case.
If the case is pending in an HO, the Specialist:
Advises the HO that there is congressional interest in the case and requests that the congressional interest be noted on CPMS and that the CF be flagged.
Advises the HO that DCPI will send an interim response and forward the congressional inquiry and a copy of the response to the HO for further responses and a final reply.
If the case is pending with another SSA component, the Specialist:
Advises the component of congressional interest and requests that the interest be noted in the CF.
Advises the component that DCPI will prepare an interim response and forward the congressional inquiry and a copy of the response for association with the CF.
If the inquiry concerns a non-SSA case or issue, the Specialist refers it to the appropriate Government or non-Government office.
An initial response to the congressional inquiry should be released within 3 days from the date the inquiry was received in DCPI Specialist. When the status of the case has been obtained, the Specialist:
Prepares a response in Word using either language from DCPI's DGS-TEXT or, when necessary, original language. The DGS-TEXT's accompanying guide gives information about using macros when preparing letters.
Prints an original letter, a courtesy copy, a yellow file box (YFB) copy and a Specialist's copy.
The Specialist signs the YFB copy of the letter, assembles the letter and copies inside the control folder, and annotates the IRIS and OSCAR forms with the appropriate response code. If the letter is being referred to another office, the Specialist annotates the office under “Remarks” on the OSCAR form.
The Specialist then forwards the control folder to the team leader for review. If the team leader finds errors, he or she returns it for corrections. If the letter is complete, the team leader signs the YFB copy and forwards the control folder to an OA for quality review.
The OAs review an approximate 20-percent random sample of congressional replies. The OAs sign the YFB copy of the letters that are complete and return to the team leader any letters that need corrections or revisions.
All DCPI letters that are prepared in response to congressional inquiries are printed with a digitized signature of the Associate Commissioner. The letters are date-stamped and released. The release date, the next due date and the action taken are annotated on the IRIS and OSCAR forms, and then input into the IRIS and OSCAR tracking systems.
Any open control folders are returned to the appropriate Specialist.
The Specialist diaries the inquiry and pulls the folder approximately 2 weeks before the due date to obtain an updated status report and to prepare another response. The Specialist obtains an updated status report and follows steps 12 through 17 until the CF comes to DCPI for preparation of the final response based on the OAO Analyst's recommended action.
If the CF, routed to an AAJ, arrives in DCPI before the due date, the Specialist prepares another interim response, if appropriate, and a final response that will be released by a legal assistant in the DPB or RSI and SSI Branch when the Appeals Council's action, order or decision is issued.
When preparing a final response, the Specialist uses DCPI's DGS-TEXT or original language. The copy requirements remain the same as in step 12. The original congressional inquiry and any YFB copies of responses are placed in the CF.
If another interim response has been prepared, the Specialist places it on the right side of the control folder. The Specialist staples a copy of the final response to the inside left of the control folder. The Specialist places the final response, courtesy copy and YFB copy in a red congressional inquiry folder and reattaches the yellow DCPI Case Flag (Form HA-282) to the front of the red folder. The flag is annotated to request a legal assistant in the DPB or RSI and SSI Branch to date-stamp and return the flag to DCPI when the congressional response has been released. The Specialist annotates the OSCAR and IRIS forms with the AAJ's code.
The Specialist routes the CF, OSCAR folder, and congressional folder to his or her team leader for the process in steps 14 through 17. The CF is routed to the designated AAJ.
When the yellow flag is returned to DCPI, the Specialist annotates the OSCAR and IRIS forms with a final letter code and the date of release, and forwards the OSCAR folder for input of the final response into the IRIS and OSCAR systems.
NOTE:
If an AAJ returns the CF to an OAO Analyst to prepare a different type of final action, order or decision, the OAO Analyst and DPB or RSI and SSI Branch are responsible for rerouting the CF through DCPI so that the final response can be revised.
ES handles the most sensitive of case-related congressional inquiries, as well as non case- related congressional inquiries with issues such as backlogs, processing times, and personnel matters. Some of these inquiries are received directly in ES and others are routed to ES from DCPI following the OA's screening process.
DCPI controls inquiries sent to ES on the OSCAR system. Copies of congressional inquiries received directly in ES should be forwarded to DCPI for preparation of an OSCAR folder and return to ES.
ES may prepare a response to a congressional inquiry or assign it to another OHA component for preparation of a response. If ES assigns the inquiry to another component, it will provide instructions for preparing a response.
Components may use the OHA Guide to Written Communications for format, address and salutation guidelines when preparing a congressional response. When a final reply has been released, ES will return the OSCAR folder to DCPI for close-out of the inquiry on the OSCAR system.