Title II or Title XVI claims and representative payee applications filed by Social
Security Administration employees (including employees of the Office of Disability
Adjudication and Review, Regional Office of Quality Assurance, and Program Service
Centers), their spouses, or members of the employees’ immediate household (living
with the employee) should be processed, under the direction of the DM or ADM, in the
resident FO by another employee and reviewed by the DM or ADM. The RO will review
these cases after the DM or ADM’s review. Disability Determination Services (DDS)
employees are not included in the scope for RO review.
Claims and representative payee applications filed by SSA employees, their spouses,
or members of the employees’ immediate household (living with the employee) on behalf
of someone else are also subject to the above reviews by both the DM or ADM and the
RO (or higher level component, if appropriate). The term “SSA employee” includes current
employees as well as individuals that have retired or left SSA employment within the
last three years.
If the applicant is an SSA employee (or was a former employee) who works in his/her
resident FO and is known by the adjudicator, the DM or ADM will assess the situation
and either direct someone who does not know the applicant or request another FO that
has no direct connection with the applicant to take the claim.
It is not necessary to question all applicants regarding any former employment with
SSA. If the FO is aware of the applicant’s former employment with SSA, the claim should
be handled per the instructions outlined in this supplement.