Whether the issue is the disapproval of the fee agreement or the amount of the fee,
administrative review under the fee agreement process generally involves the same
procedural steps and stages that GN 03950.001C. describes for administrative review under the fee petition process. These are:
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Notifying the processing center (PC) of the request in cases under title II of the
Act involving an attorney representative, to prevent premature release of past-due
benefits withheld for possible direct payment.
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Examining the request and the file to establish authority to conduct review and timely
filing by a proper party.
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Informing the parties and providing them an opportunity to comment.
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Reviewing the initial determination.
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Notifying the requester and the parties of the determination on administrative review.
As under the fee petition process, these stages generally follow in sequence. However,
sometimes SSA may not make a determination on administrative review, e.g., when an
improper party requested review. Sometimes the stages can overlap, e.g., the reviewer
acknowledges receipt; requests an explanation of good cause for late filing; and,
at the same time, informs the other parties of the request for administrative review.