TN 3 (08-09)

NL 00610.010 Legal Sufficiency of Notices

Our notices are legal documents. Because our notices communicate decisions and determinations, and inform individuals of their rights and responsibilities under our programs, we must ensure that our notices are legally sufficient.

To be legally sufficient, notices must be clear and accurate and must convey enough information to allow the recipient to act in an informed way. Notices must conform to all statutory, regulatory, and constitutional requirements. They must also conform to all specific court-imposed requirements. Too little information may violate the recipient's legal rights.

As part of the notice clearance process, the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) reviews notices to ensure that they are legally sufficient. OGC reviews the proposed language in an entire sample notice rather than reviewing only a specific paragraph or sentence within the notice. (For information on the notice clearance process, see NL 00610.110).