TN 1 (07-10)

A. Introduction to appointed representatives’ access to electronic services

Appointed representatives who have registered, either by submitting a paper Form SSA-1699 (the 11-2009 or the 02/2010 version of Registration for Appointed Representative Services and Direct Payment) or by completing an Internet application (only available from October 31, 2009, through January 23, 2010), may:

• Arrange for direct payment of fees on particular cases or

• Begin the process of requesting access to certain electronic folder services.

B. Policy – Available electronic services for appointed representatives

We offer certain electronic services to appointed representatives who:

• Register,

• Complete a series of online actions, and

• Meet all of our requirements for authentication, authorization, and – in the case of the eFolder service – receive an invitation to participate.

Representatives who previously signed up for ERE services do not have to submit a Form SSA-1699 at this time. The services currently available to ERE users are:

• Medical Evidence of Record (MER) utility - Allows online submission of health and school records related to disability claims. The utility automatically associates the records with the applicant’s disability claim.

• Communication Utility (CU) - Allows external users to send a secure, one-way communication to other registered users, such as DDS examiners , Hearing Office staff, or the Appeals Council.

  Representatives who wish to enroll for direct payment of fees, change information previously submitted on an SSA-1699, or who are invited to register for access to electronic folders (the ability to view, print, and download disability claims folders at the hearings level) must complete and submit a Form SSA-1699. Representatives who register through the SSA-1699 process will also have access to available ERE services.

  NOTE: At this time, we are only inviting a limited number of appointed representatives to register for and access the eFolder service.

C. Procedure for appointed representatives requesting access to electronic services

To access the available electronic services for appointed representatives, individuals must complete:

• The registration process for Appointed Representative Services and Direct Payment of fees, either using the paper Form SSA-1699 (11-2009 or 02-2010 versions) or, from October 31, 2009, to January 23, 2010, an Internet application, and

• All required authorization and authentication Internet steps starting with the instructions found on our notice to confirm registration (see GN 03913.030) and on our website at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/ar/

We provide identification and activation codes sequentially to qualified, registered representatives who have completed Internet screens to request the codes. When the representatives input the codes to our website, we authorize them to perform actions on their appointed cases in a secure environment, protecting claimants’ sensitive information.