The Social Security Act requires us to review at least half of all favorable disability determinations in initial claims for benefits made by State disability determination services (DDS) before we take any action to effectuate the determination.

The Office of Quality Review (OQR) conducts this preeffectuation review, as well as ongoing quality assurance reviews, to ensure the accuracy of the determination. These reviews also protect the integrity of the disability programs by preventing erroneous payments.

As part of these reviews, OQR may find a documentation or decisional error on an uneffectuated allowance determination that results in a denial determination. Sometimes, the field office (FO) improperly effectuates the allowance determination.

NOTE: Effective August 23, 2014, we added a system fix to prevent the FO from effectuating initial and reconsideration allowance determinations in the electronic folder if the case is pending in OQR. This safeguard will remain in place until we input a final disability determination into the disability system.

When the FO improperly effectuates an incorrect allowance determination before OQR completes its review, the DDS will reopen the allowance determination.

NOTE: We will not consider an improperly effectuated allowance determination as a prior determination for purposes of applying the medical improvement review standard (MIRS) if the DDS reopens the determination promptly, as explained in DI 27520.026C in this section.

The DDS should take the following actions if it is reopening the allowance determination within 60 days from the date of the improper award notice:

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  apply the current rules for reopening per DI 27505.000;

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  use the 1-year “for any reason” rule as the basis for reopening. See DI 27505.001A.1.;

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  do not apply the MIRS;

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  follow due process notification instructions in DI 27525.015B; and

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  follow reopening processing instructions in DI 81020.115.

The DDS should take the following actions if it is reopening the allowance determination more than 60 days from the date of the improper award notice:

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  apply the current rules for reopening per DI 27505.000;

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  use the 1-year “for any reason” rule as the basis for reopening if you can reopen the allowance determination within 1 year from the date of the award notice;

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  if more than 1 year has elapsed since the date of the award notice, consider if you can reopen the determination for “good cause.” See sections DI 27505.001 and DI 27505.010.

  NOTE: Do not use “clerical error” as good cause for reopening. We do not consider improper effectuation of these allowance determinations a clerical error. See DI 27505.010D;

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  apply the MIRS. See DI 28010.001;

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  if there is no medical improvement, or medical improvement is not related to the ability to work, carefully evaluate the evidence, including any additional evidence obtained as a result of the OQR review, to determine if the Group I error exception applies.

  For more information about the error exception, see DI 28020.350 through DI 28020.375;

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  follow due process and notification instructions in DI 27525.015B; and

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  follow reopening processing instructions in DI 81020.115.

If the time limits for reopening the allowance determination have expired, initiate a continuing disability review. See DI 28001.005.

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  DI 28005.010 CDR Evaluation Process – Title II and Adult Title XVI Beneficiary – Summary Chart

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  DI 30005.001 The Quality Review Process