The majority of assistance requests from the U.K. agencies are submitted on the approved liaison forms described in GN 01720.235. However, some requests are received in the form of correspondence, both standardized form letters as well as dictated letters. The U.K. most often uses correspondence to request medical examinations, to send follow up requests and to ask our assistance in unusual situations.

Before responding to a request submitted in a letter, be sure that the following criteria are met:

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  the letter is on letterhead paper of one of the U.K. liaison agencies listed in GN 01720.025.A.,

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  the person about whom the request pertains is clearly identified by name and SSN, and

• •

  the person's consent to disclose information is attached or you are satisfied that the information is needed to process a claim under the agreement either because the U.K. agency states it or because there is evidence in file like an SSA-2490, etc.

If any of these criteria are not met, submit the request to IOTS for instructions.