Effective Dates: 8/07/2025 - Present

Identification Number:
DI 81010 TN 88
Intended Audience:See Transmittal Sheet
Originating Office:ORDP ODP
Title:FO Procedures - Electronic Process
Type:POMS Full Transmittals
Program:All Programs
Link To Reference:
 

PROGRAM OPERATIONS MANUAL SYSTEM

Part DI – Disability Insurance

Chapter 810 – Electronic Disability Guide (eDG) Procedures for the Electronic Process

Subchapter 10 – FO Procedures - Electronic Process

Transmittal No. 88, 08/07/2025

Audience

PSC: CA, CS, DE, DEC, DTE, ICDS, IES, ISRA, RECONR, SCPS, TSA, TST;
OCO-OEIO: BET, CR, CTE, ERE, FCR, FDE, FDEC, RECONE, RECONR, RECOVR;
DQB: DE, PA, PE, TL;
OCO-ODO: BET, BTE, CR, CTE, CTE TEDE, DEC, DS, PAS, PETE, PETL, RCOVTA, RECONE, RECONR, RECOVR;
ODD-DDS: ADJ, DHU;
FO/TSC: CS, CS TII, CS TXVI, CSR, CTE, DRT, FR, OA, OS, RR, TA, TSC-CSR;
OHO/OAO: HQ;

Originating Component

ODP

Effective Date

Upon Receipt

Background

Updating DI 81010.100 per ODA/OQR changes and timelines for handling assistance requests (AR) sent to the field office from the adjudicating and review components.

Summary of Changes

DI 81010.100 Electronic Disability Collect System (EDCS) Actions Page

Replace "DDS" with "adjudicating component" (DDS, DPU, DPB). Any other references to OQR should be referred to as the "reviewing component."

Removing NOTES pertaining to legacy systems now that we are working with NCPS.

Insert B.3. AR Timeframes and Follow-Ups. This will renumber the next paragraph, Requesting Office Cancels the AR, as B.4.

DI 81010.100 Electronic Disability Collect System (EDCS) Actions Page

A. EDCS Actions Page - Overview

The EDCS Actions Page alerts the Field Office (FO) if FO action is needed on a Certified Electronic Folder (CEF) due to actions taken by the component with jurisdiction (e.g., Disability Determination Services (DDS), Office of Hearings Operations (OHO), Disability Processing Branch (DPB), Office of Quality Review (OQR)). The two types of alerts that appear on the EDCS Actions Page are:

  • •

    Electronic Assistance Requests (ARs); and

  • •

    Action Items (AIs).

1. Accessing the EDCS Actions Page

The EDCS Actions Page is the first page that appears after opening EDCS for the first time each day. To return to the actions page at any time, select the “EDCS Actions” link on the Disability Case Selection Screen.

2. Viewing ARs and AIs

ARs and AIs can be sorted and viewed by:

  • •

    Office;

  • •

    Unit code;

  • •

    Date of the AR or AI; or

  • •

    A combination of the three.

3. Assigning ARs and AIs

When a new AR or AI is received, it is automatically:

  • •

    Assigned to the unit code propagated from the mainframe; and

  • •

    Stored in the EDCS database.

The unit code updates only when information is re-propagated from the mainframe during:

  • •

    Case transfer;

  • •

    Update-After-Transfer (UAT);

  • •

    Manual re-propagation done by the user.

ARs and AIs can be:

  • •

    Reassigned to another unit; or

  • •

    Transferred to another office.

NOTE: Items may appear without a unit code assigned or with a unit code that is not used in that particular office. A member of FO management, or other designated person, must review EDCS Actions Page daily to assign ARs and AIs that:

  • •

    Do not have a unit code; or

  • •

    Have a unit code that is not used by anyone in that office.

B. Assistance Requests (ARs)

  • •

    Are performed when one component contacts another for assistance while still retaining full jurisdiction of the case; and

  • •

    May be sent or received from any office processing CEFs.

EXCEPTION: FOs can receive but cannot initiate ARs.

The EDCS Actions Page lists ARs from adjudicating components, reviewing components, or OHO. The FO user can:

  • •

    Request a list of all ARs for the office; or

  • •

    Refine the search by unit code and date.

1. AR Status on the EDCS Actions Page

The status of an AR appears on the EDCS Actions Page as:

  • •

    “Transaction in progress” – Indicates that the AR has been accepted by the FO and the action has been sent to the Electronic Folder Interface (EFI);

  • •

    “Not yet accepted” – Indicates that the AR has not been “accepted” or “transferred” by the FO user;

  • •

    “Pending” – Indicates that the transaction has been processed through EFI and the FO can take any action necessary to complete the AR.

NOTE: If the FO transfers the AR to another office/component, the AR will no longer appear on the actions page.

2. Taking Action on ARs

To process the AR, the FO must do one of the following:

  • •

    Accept the AR – The FO can then begin to work on the request;

  • •

    Reject the AR – The requesting office is notified that the FO has rejected the request and is given the reason why it was rejected;

  • •

    Transfer the AR – If the AR was misrouted or if jurisdiction of a claim moved to another area, transfer the AR to the appropriate FO. Transferring the AR moves it to the new office’s actions page and removes it from the original actions page. The requesting office is alerted of the transfer; or

  • •

    Close the AR – The FO closes the AR once all necessary actions have been taken and/or all documentation has been added to the CEF. The FO can select:

    • –

      To close the request (with comments); or

    • –

      “Could not complete request” which requires entry of the reason why the AR could not be completed.

      NOTE: The initiating office is notified when an AR is closed, but they cannot view any progress notes while the AR is being worked unless they are recorded on an SSA-5002 in file.

3. AR Timeframes and Follow-Ups

The FO should give priority attention to ARs.

Do not close an AR until all requested actions have been completed and all necessary documentation has been added to the EF.

EXAMPLE: Mailing the claimant an SSA-821 is not sufficient action for closing the AR. Keep the AR pending until you complete full work development.

The FO should not use the “Notes” field in the AR to document the AR response. The FO should add all documentation into the EF and document any additional information on an SSA-5002.

When the requesting office initiates an AR, use the following timeframes to expedite processing:

Day 1-5: FO accepts the AR and initiates development (e.g., contact the claimant to obtain forms such as SSA-820 or SSA-821). ARs should remain in “pending” status until the FO completes ALL development and documents the electronic folder (EF). If the FO erroneously closes the AR prior to completing development, the requesting office should send another AR.

Day 6: If the FO has not accepted the AR within 5 days, the case processing system will automatically send a follow-up AR.

Day 15: If the FO has accepted the AR but does not have the requested information to complete the AR, notify the requesting office with a status using the Message function in eView or with an SSA-5002 added to the file.

NOTE: The requesting office may send a follow-up AR if the FO does not provide a status update after 15 days. Follow-ups will appear as separate action items on the EDCS Actions Page in the “Assistance Request Follow-Up” Section.

Day 30: If the requested information is not received after 30 days:

  • •

    Attempt to provide the requested information based on available records and evidence.

EXAMPLE: If the SSA-821 has not been received, the FO completes a work determination on an SSA-823 based on available evidence.

  • •

    Annotate efforts to obtain the information.

  • •

    Document conclusion or pending status details on an SSA-5002 or other applicable forms, if applicable.

NOTE: If active development is still pending, provide an estimated date of completion on an SSA-5002 or a status using the Message function electronic message in eView.

Day 35: If the FO has not accepted the AR, completed their development, or provided a status update after 35 days, the requesting office may return the claim to the FO for further development.

If, prior to completion of the AR, the requesting office determines it is no longer necessary, it should cancel the AR and document the reason for the cancellation.

4. Requesting Office Cancels the AR

The office requesting the AR may cancel the request either before or after the AR has been accepted. When the AR is cancelled:

  • •

    The Assistance Request History section in eView updates with the cancellation date; and

  • •

    An AI appears on the EDCS Actions Page notifying the FO the AR was cancelled.

C. Action Items (AIs)

AIs are shown on the EDCS Actions Page to alert the FO of:

  • •

    Actions involving movement of the case (e.g., allowances, denials, rejected claims, and other case transfers routed to the FO); and

  • •

    Messages added to the CEF by the office of jurisdiction.

NOTE: For a list of actions that appear in the action item section, refer to the EDCS Action Items list.

D. FO Action on DDS Special Notice Instructions

All special instructions previously listed on a paper routing form by DDS, such as an SSA-408 (Route Slip), are now sent to the FO via ARs and AIs on the EDCS Actions Page. When special notice language is required, the DDS:

  • •

    Inputs any special notice language into the CEF; and

  • •

    Notifies the FO via a CEF message, which appears on the EDCS Actions Page, that there is special language the FO must include in the notice to the claimant.

NOTE: The special notice language will be included in the message or in a document added to the CEF.

If the FO is not releasing a cover letter in addition to the DDS prepared notice, the FO must:

  • •

    Print the DDS notice;

  • •

    Date stamp the notice;

  • •

    Prepare a barcode cover sheet;

  • •

    Fax the notice into the CEF per Faxing Documents into the Certified Electronic Folder (CEF) Using Barcodes - DI 81010.090; and

  • •

    Release the notice.

E. FO Action on Claims Rejected by OHO

OHO can take an action to reject jurisdiction of a case and send it back to an FO through the Case Processing Management System (CPMS). This action triggers a reject message of “Claim Rejected to FO” on the EDCS Actions Page and “Reject” on the eView Claims Action History Page. In concurrent claims, when OHO finds that the claim should include only one program, they reject the incorrect Title II or Title XVI claim per OHO’s Electronic Business Process.

NOTE: FO staff do not make a determination on hearing level cases nor manually clear the rejected claim in concurrent claims. In concurrent claims, when OHO rejects one claim but keeps the other, the FO cannot manually clear the rejected claim because a manual clearance closes both claims rather than just the rejected claim.

When the FO receives an AI from OHO rejecting jurisdiction of a case in a concurrent claim, the FO must:

  • •

    Review the action item on the EDCS action page and determine why OHO rejected the claim;

  • •

    Submit a vHelp request to allow RO staff to open a Service Now ticket to close the rejected claim. When Systems closes the rejected claim, its status displays as “Transferred” and a message of “CO System Adjustment” is on the Claims Action History Page;

  • •

    If the rejected claim’s next level of review is reconsideration, but the claimant submitted a request for hearing in error, process the claim per the instructions in GN 03103.120 and SI 04030.020.

F. Trailer Mail Requiring FO Action

If the adjudicating component receives any trailer mail that requires FO action, the adjudicating component:

  • •

    Scans the material into the CEF (the contract scanner may also scan the material); and

  • •

    Contacts the FO if action is needed.

EXAMPLES: An appeal request misrouted to the adjudicating component, or an address change received after the adjudicating component closure.

G. DDS Processes a “No Determination” (ND)

DDS processes an ND when:

  • •

    The current adjudicating component does not need a medical decision; or

  • •

    DDS is processing a reopening.

The ND:

  • •

    Appears on the EDCS Actions Page as a “Transfer” or “TR”; and

  • •

    Does not close the EDCS case.

To determine why the DDS input the “ND” so that appropriate action can be taken on the case, the FO must:

  • •

    Open eView; and

  • •

    Review the messages and/or documents in file (e.g., SSA-831, SSA-5002, DDS case development worksheet).

NOTE: A “TR” received on the Actions Page does not always mean that a medical decision is not needed on the case or that MCS and/or MSSICS should be closed out.

There are two common scenarios where an ND is input by DDS:

1. No Medical Decision Needed

DDS determines that:

  • •

    DDS processing should stop; and

  • •

    A medical decision is no longer required.

DDS may determine that no medical decision is needed if they are notified that the claimant:

  • •

    Has died;

  • •

    Has returned to work; or

  • •

    Withdraws the claim.

The FO must:

  • •

    Evaluate the DDS reason and determine if additional action is needed (i.e., evaluate work activity (SGA), claimant requested withdrawal of claim, etc.);

  • •

    Input a FO Determination in EDCS (see Processing Field Office (FO) Determinations - DI 81010.140) if a medical determination is not needed; and

  • •

    Close out MCS and/or MSSICS as appropriate by following current instructions for each title.

    Refer to the following references for close out procedures:

    • –

      For MCS: FO Action on Return of Title II Disability Determination from DDS - Initial Title II Technical Denials and Claims Not Requiring a Disability Determination - DI 11010.075

    • –

      For MSSICS: Adjudicating Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Claims General - SI 00601.080

NOTE: If the adjudicating component prepares the ND because the claimant has returned to work, the FO must determine whether the work is SGA before closing the EDCS claim. If the work is SGA, see Processing Field Office (FO) Determinations DI 81010.140. If the work is not SGA or if the SGA could be protected by the Trial Work Period for Title II claims or 1619 (a) or 1619(b) for Title XVI claims, transfer the EDCS claim by UAT back to the DDS for a medical decision.

2. DDS Transfers the Claim to another DDS

In this scenario, a medical decision is still needed when a DDS transfers the case to another DDS. The DDS adds a message to the CEF to document the case transfer to another DDS.

Upon receipt of the alert for the message, the FO must:

  • •

    Check eView for a message regarding case transfer, change of address, etc.;

  • •

    Input new address information into MCS and/or MSSICS as appropriate; and

  • •

    Transfer the claims in MCS and/or MSSICS to the appropriate office using current procedures.


DI 81010 TN 88 - FO Procedures - Electronic Process - 8/07/2025