Personalized explanations sent to the claimant and or beneficiary must meet two basic
tests. They should:
-
•
be legally sufficient; and
-
•
not be offensive in any way.
The first test is met by following the instructions contained in this chapter for
preparation of personalized explanations. The second test involves what is said and
how it is said and is met by avoiding the use of:
The information provided must be:
The DDS examiner must be sensitive to the claimant and beneficiary's feelings and
information in the personalized explanations must not denigrate these feelings and
needs in any manner.
NOTE: The personalized explanation is written in the third person when it is to a person
filing on behalf of a claimant, or if the claimant has died after filing. Dates may
be abbreviated numerically (e.g., 12/14/09), if necessary, to save space.