The appeal method is a hearing by telephone unless the individual waives the hearing
by telephone and agrees to a hearing by case review.
The 800 number agents, FO employees, and Wilkes-Barre Direct Operations Center (WBDOC)
establish the appeal by completing the Appeal Application screens in MAPS. Once established,
the case is submitted to the Subsidy Appeal Unit (SAU) in the Office of Earnings and
International Operations (OEIO). This special unit was established to process subsidy
appeals. The Subsidy Determination Reviewer (SDR) in the SAU makes all appeal decisions.
Once the case is reviewed and decided by the SDR, he or she will trigger the appeal
decision notices through the Document Generation System (DGS). The individual may
also receive a notice from the subsidy determination process if there is a change
in the subsidy percentage.
See HI 03040.300C. for more information on appeal disposition notices.
If the caller has additional information to support the appeal, direct him/her to
mail it to the Subsidy Appeal Unit (SAU) at the following address:
Social Security Admin.
P.O. Box 17720
Woodlawn, MD 21235-7720
The individual can request an appeal by case review. The appeal will be established
in MAPS. The appeal is submitted to the Subsidy Appeal Unit. The SAU to whom the case
is assigned will send an acknowledgment notice using the Document Generation System
(DGS). If there is a new issue to be decided, the acknowledgment notice will inform
the individual about the new issue and provide him/her with the opportunity to provide
additional information. The SDR will then make a decision based on the information
available.
If an individual requests an appeal by telephone, an appointment will be scheduled by the SAU giving the individual at least 20 days to prepare for
the appeal. When the SAU sends the appointment notice, he or she will accommodate the times requested
by the individual unless for some very good reason it is not possible. If the individual
waives the 20-day period, a telephone hearing will be scheduled as soon as possible.
The SAU records the hearing to allow preparation of a certified transcript, if one
is determined necessary.
The appeal will be established in MAPS and submitted to the SAU.
The SDR will conduct the telephone hearing, and decide the case. The individual can
request a delay (one delay may be approved; up to 2 delays if the individual has good
cause). Examples of good cause reasons include, but are not limited to:
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Individual attempted to obtain information but need additional time;
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Individual’s representative has a prior commitment to be in court or at another administrative
hearing on the date the hearing is scheduled;
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Individual offering assistance would be unavailable to participate in the scheduled
hearing;
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Individual is unrepresented, and is unable to respond to the notice of hearing because
of physical, mental, educational, or linguistic limitations (including any lack of
facility with the English language); or
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Individual did not receive notice of the hearing appointment;
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Individual was hospitalized at time of appointment.
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If the individual did not request a delay but is not present at time of the scheduled
hearing, the SDR will wait 1-2 days before making a decision based on the information
available. If the individual wishes to proceed with a hearing, the SDR will reschedule
if the individual had good cause for missing the scheduled hearing. For example, the
individual was suddenly hospitalized at the time of the scheduled hearing.