TN 1 (01-11)

DI 29505.020 Requests for Information from Federal Courts

Requests for information for cases in Federal courts are legally termed “discovery requests” as defined in the “Federal Rules of Civil Procedure”. Discovery requests generally seek information from the Social Security Administration (SSA), the disability determination services (DDS), a DDS physician, or other personnel. The three most common types of discovery requests are:

1. 1. 

   interrogatories (Rule 33),

2. 2. 

   requests for production of documents (Rule 34), or

3. 3. 

   requests for admissions (Rule 36).

Discovery requests are different from ODAR interrogatories described in DI 20502.030. For discovery requests, the DDS must contact the Assistant Regional Commissioner for Management and Operations Support (ARC-MOS). The ARC-MOS must request legal guidance from the regional counsel’s office and advise the DDS on what actions to take.