The Division of Earnings and Business Services (DEBS) technicians may need to make
direct contact with an employer for clarification to assist them in making a clear
and accurate decision. During the process of investigating a case, they may find a
potential error that was not an SSA processing error. The technician must take the following steps to request a corrected wage report
for all employer related errors.
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1.
Obtain the employer telephone number using the following sources:
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Processed Form W-3 or W-3c; and
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Use the agency or commercial directories (e.g., directory assistance or Internet assistance);
Do Not use operator assistance;
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2.
Make three telephone attempts to reach the employer; follow the example below if all
three attempts are unsuccessful:
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3.
Once you make contact with the employer; request the employer to correct or resubmit
the wage report.
Example:
One attempt at each interval is necessary to satisfy the maximum number of attempts:
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First day - attempt made in the morning,
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Second day – attempt made in the mid-afternoon
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Third day – final attempt in the evening
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a.
Send a dictated notice to the employer, (See facsimile of notice in RM 02236.020) Use the notice on DEBS SharePoint Site.
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b.
Prepare the PBA Direct Contact notice for mailing:
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Fill-in the appropriate gray boxes,
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Print a copy for mailing, and
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Do not save keyed information in the SharePoint notice.
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c.
Prepare envelope for mailing:
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Enclose reply envelope, if applicable;
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Enclose a postage paid envelope when requesting information from an impartial third-party.
NOTE: An impartial third-party is not required to furnish the requested information; such
as an employer furnishing information to assist SSA in correcting wage report errors
that were not the fault of the employer;
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Place contents inside the envelope (Do not seal); and
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