Delayed cases are those which are at a work station for a time considered to be excessive when measured against normal case processing experience. In order to effectively identify such cases, a flagging procedure is followed at the various work stations, i.e., the Field Office (FO), Disability Quality Branch (DQB), the Program Service Center (PSC), and the Disability Determination Services (DDS). A flag attached at one station will remain on the case through all subsequent operations including final handling in the Office of Disability Operations (ODO) or the PSC.

Any initial case in the FO that has been delayed excessively from the filing date of the application must be flagged for expedited processing. The period of time for considering a case “delayed excessively” is normally 70 calendar days; however, when DDS and FO workloads permit, the Assistant Regional Commissioner (ARC) may decide that expedited processing is warranted earlier than 70 days. For instructions on adding a flag to an Electronic Disability Collect System (EDCS) case, see “Adding a Flag to a Case”. The EDCS exclusion flagging procedure requires the FO to affix Form SSA-408 (Route Slip) and annotate “Expedite – Delayed Case.”

Upon receipt of an initial case from the FO which meets the delayed case criteria (see DI 11055.150E), or at any other shorter period specified by the Regional Office (RO), in which the case has not been properly identified as a delayed case; the DDS will flag all EDCS cases with an "aged case" flag, or attach a paper "aged case" flag via a SSA-408 on all non-EDCS cases.

All cases receipted in the DDS, including recons, continuing disability reviews (CDRs), those returned by the Office of Disability Operations (ODO), or DQB, for additional consideration, which have remained at the FO for 70 days or more after the date the application or reconsideration request was filed, or the Continuing Disability Review (CDR) action was initiated, must be identified as a delayed case and flagged with an "aged case" flag either electronically or via a SSA-408 for paper cases.

Attach Form SSA-408 to the upper edge of the paper modular disability folder (MDF), opposite the Social Security Number (SSN) entry.