Effective Dates: 06/26/2025 - Present Previous | Next

TN 181 (06-25)

GN 04440.015 Federal Quality Review of Certified Electronic Folder (CEF) Cases

A. Introduction to the federal quality review

The Quality Review (QR) conducts federal quality reviews of disability cases.

B. Official folder is a modular disability folder (MDF) or CEF

Federal quality review of adjudicating component disability determinations provides general processing instructions for review components to use when returning or correcting deficient CEF cases.

C. Quality review sample selection

The automated sample selection process selects quality review sample cases during the adjudicating component’s case closure process and prior to effectuation of the determination.

  • •

    The adjudicating component receives an alert during the case closure process, via the National Disability Determination Services System (NDDSS) and QR case processing system, when a CEF case is selected for federal quality review.

  • •

    Both NDDSS and eView display an indicator when the case has been selected for federal quality review. NDDSS only shows that the case has been selected for review and the original review component as the destination. Some CEF cases are automatically transferred to other review components. This transfer is only visible in eView. The only place to see where a case is being, or has been, reviewed, is in eView.

  • •

    CEF cases selected for federal quality review are electronically transferred to the appropriate review component (e.g., quality assurance review, pre-effectuation review, special studies, etc.).

For information regarding eView Overview, refer to DI 81005.005.

D. Results of quality review

Results of federal quality reviews are as follows:

1. Non-deficient (correct) cases:

The review component completes the quality review and case processing system coding and clears the CEF case to the field office (FO) or National Records Center for effectuation of the determination.

2. Deficient cases:

If a case is found to be deficient, the review component may:

  • •

    return the CEF to the adjudicating component for corrective action(s),

  • •

    complete the needed corrective action(s) and route the CEF to the FO to effectuate the determination, or

  • •

    request assistance from the FO.

For additional information regarding deficiencies, see GN 04440.202 (Group I Decisional Deficiencies), GN 04440.203 (Group I Documentation Deficiencies), GN 04440.204 (Group II Deficiencies), and GN 04440.230 (Introduction to Technical Corrective Actions (TCAs)).

3. FO action needed:

The review component may request assistance from the FO for additional development (e.g., substantial gainful activity (SGA) development).

  • •

    Use the Request for FO Assistance functionality within the quality review case processing system to seek assistance from the FO on cases involving Group I or Group II deficiencies that require work activity development.

E. Process for federal quality review

For CEF cases, quality reviews are randomly directed to one of the review components.

For further information, refer to (Federal Quality Review (QR)) DI 81020.135.

NOTE: The review components do not review cases with associated paper cases.

F. Adjudicating component and review component disagreement when the CEF is the agency's official folder

The adjudicating component follows the guidance (Resolving Deficiency Disagreements Informal Resolution Request (IRR) and Request for Program Consultation (RPC)) in DI 30005.501.

To Link to this section - Use this URL:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0204440015
GN 04440.015 - Federal Quality Review of Certified Electronic Folder (CEF) Cases - 06/26/2025
Batch run: 06/26/2025
Rev:06/26/2025