Do not permit members of the public to remove materials from the inspection area.
Do not attempt to explain or interpret any of the materials made available unless
the person in charge of the inspection and copying service is technical personnel
or management, e.g., claims representative or operations supervisor. Refer individuals
requesting assistance to a claims representative.
When an office receives a request for materials which are not maintained by that office
but are listed in the Indexes of Administrative Staff Manuals and Instructions (IASMI),
obtain the requested material from the appropriate CO or RO component. (Request operations
manuals and Commissioner's decisions from OPI, CO.)
If the request is for copies of materials maintained in other FOs, ask the other FO
by telephone to make copies and mail them either to your FO or directly to the requester,
depending on the arrangement you have made.
If the requester merely wants to inspect a manual and it is not feasible for him/her
to go to the office maintaining the manual, the requesting office and the office that
has the manual should make their own arrangements for transferring either the manual
itself or copies of it to the office closest to the requester. (See E. below for use
of Form SSA-1723-U4.)