BASIC (02-06)

The EF is SSA's electronic disability repository that stores the claimant’s disability file information. The EF will be accessible by all components involved in the processing of disability claims. All case processing components (e.g., field offices (FOs), Disability Determinations Services (DDSs), Processing Centers (PCs), Disability Quality Branches (DQBs), Hearing Offices (HOs), etc.) will have the capability to access, view and exchange case-related information with the EF. When the electronic process is fully implemented, both initial claims and post-entitlement actions will be maintained in the EF.

A. Creation of the EF

The EF is created when an initial claim, reconsideration, or hearing request, is established on the Electronic Disability Collect System (EDCS). EDCS collects disability report information (e.g., SSA-3367, SSA-3368, SSA-3369, SSA-3820, SSA-3441). If a mainframe application (e.g., Modernized Claim System (MCS) or Modernized Supplemental Security Income Claim System (MSSICS) exists for a case, some data from MCS and/or MSSICS are propagated into EDCS.

EDCS is always established under the beneficiary’s own account number (BOAN). Using eView, the case record can be queried using the number holder’s SSN as well as the BOAN or the claimant’s name.

NOTE: Cases that cannot be entered into EDCS (see DI 81010.030 for CEF exclusions and limitations) will not be established as EFs and will be processed using the current paper folder procedures.

B. Contents of the EF

All documentation and evidence (medical and nonmedical) housed in the EF will come from various case processing systems used by SSA, DDS, Office of Quality Assurance and Performance Assessment (OQA) and Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) to process disability cases. Information from external sources (e.g., medical providers, claimants, representatives, third parties, etc.) will also be added to the EF. The EF will consist of information that is:

• keyed into data entry fields,

• uploaded from electronic forms, and

• imaged using scanning, faxing, or Electronic Records Express transport technologies.

Offices need special hardware equipment and software to be able to scan forms and documents directly into the EF. Until the equipment is installed, components must fax documents to the centralized fax number (1-866-722-2297) after creation of a 2-D barcode label in eView (see DI 80830.100). The 2-D barcode label is different from the Processing Center Action Control System (PCACS) barcode labels used in the PCs.

C. Authorized Access

Access to the EF is determined by the position type associated with the Personal Identification Number (PIN) of the employee logged into the workstation. Employees have authorized access only to those EF functions needed to perform their jobs. Access will be restricted to the minimum amount necessary for the user’s position type. All users have query access to eView but may have other eView restrictions.

D. Accessing the EF

EF information can be accessed as follows:

• Use the eView desktop icon, or

• Enter the eView website here, or

• Use interfaces from the case processing systems that link directly to the eView application (e.g., DDS legacy systems, Disability Case and Review System (DICARS), Case Processing and Management System (CPMS), etc.).

E. Organization of the EF

The working portions of the EF are organized in the same format as the paper Modular Disability Folder (MDF) (i.e., EF color-coded sections match the paper MDF colors and categories). The MDF view is located in eView behind the Case Documents tab (see DI 81005.050). Offices can use the eView “Case Documents” tab to view documents and images stored in the EF, move misfiled images to the appropriate section in Case Documents, copy document images to a CD, and create a barcode.

EF sections include:

• Section A - Payment Documents/Decisions (Yellow Front)

• Section B - Jurisdictional Documents/Notices (Red)

• Section C - Current Development/Temporary (Green)

• Section D - Non-Disability Development (Orange)

• Section E - Disability Related Development (Blue)

• Section F - Medical Records (Yellow Back)

The EF also has 2 additional sections which were not in the paper MDF:

• Queries (This section stores scanned/faxed queries.)

• Multimedia files (This section stores copies of ODAR’s digital hearing records.)

Each section can be expanded to show the list of documents stored in that section of the EF. When a section is expanded, details about each document are displayed.

Current instructions for filing documents in the paper MDF apply to the EF (see DI 70005.005).

F. Certification Process

SSA has instituted a process to assess State readiness to process cases in a fully electronic environment and to certify that the maintenance of the paper MDF is no longer needed. The EF certification process includes a review of the electronic business process, SSA and DDS system performance, and a comparison of the paper MDF and the EF to verify documentation consistency. Once a state has been certified:

• It will no longer have to maintain the paper MDF for cases processed electronically;

• All documentation received will be stored exclusively in the EF; and.

• EFs processed by that State will be the official record of the Agency’s actions on the disability case.

A similar process is also performed to certify ODAR and DQB offices.