Only the General Counsel may enter into settlement agreements with representatives
to resolve sanction cases. The General Counsel may settle a case even before filing
charges against a representative.
The parties may agree to any terms that are not in violation of Federal law or regulation.
If the parties sign a settlement agreement before the General Counsel asks OHO to
designate a hearing officer, the agreement becomes effective according to the terms
of the agreement. If the parties sign the settlement agreement after OHO designates
a hearing officer, the agreement becomes effective when the designated hearing officer
enters the agreement into the record, issues an order accepting the agreement, and
dismisses the General Counsel’s request for a hearing.
NOTE: Field Office (FO) or Processing Center (PC) staff cannot negotiate any type of settlement
with a representative regarding a sanction matter. However, in situations regarding
fee violations, the FO or the PC staff can close a case if the representative makes
a full refund of the disputed amount upon request before the FO or PC refers the case
to OGC. Refer questions regarding this section to OGC via email at OGC.OGL.Representative.Conduct@ssa.gov.