TN 9 (06-13)

A. Actions on Compassionate Allowances (CAL) cases

You must have proper security access and jurisdiction of at least one pending claim to manually add, remove, modify, or reinstate a case to the CAL fast-track process. Regional office (RO) users only need the proper security access. Field office (FO) users do not have this capability.

Process add, remove, modify, and reinstate actions on the Compassionate Allowances page in eView. The Office of Disability Programs (ODP) CAL website provides more information on CAL, houses the impairment summaries, and provides CAL updates. Users must process CAL updates in eView to avoid changing an existing Quick Disability Determinations (QDD) indicator on the case.

In the applicant’s electronic folder (EF), select the yellow/Edit case link at the top of the page. Access the CAL webpage by selecting the hypertext link labeled “CAL” in the top right-hand frame of the EF in eView. The “CAL” link displays “CAL: Y” or “CAL: N”.

The “CAL Home Page” hypertext link connects users to ODP’s CAL website that lists the CAL conditions and contains the CAL information.

The “CAL:” field displays the current status “Yes” or “No.” Take one of the following actions:

1. If the CAL value is “Yes”, each applicable condition detected appears as a separate hypertext link leading to the applicable page within the CAL ODP website.

2. If the CAL value is “No”, the “CAL Conditions” field will be blank.

The “CAL History” summary table displays the most recent CAL action first and includes the following fields:

• Date: Date CAL was added, reinstated, modified or removed;

• Action: Possible CAL actions are added (manually or through the selection software), reinstated, modified, or removed;

• Office Code: Office responsible for the “Action”;

• Level: Adjudicative level of claim;

• Conditions: If added, modified, or reinstated, the selected conditions will appear. If removed, the field will be blank;

• Reason: Documented rationale for the “Action” (which you selected from a drop down list), or “Other” will display with typed text.

The Reasons column will display the following:

• “Auto Selected” if the selection software detected CAL conditions.

• “Auto-Removed due to EDCS reactivation” when we reactivate a case through Electronic Disability Collect System (EDCS) and the last action taken was “Auto-Selected”.

• Any user-selected reason from a predefined drop down list.

• “Other” (from the drop down list) followed by user entered text.

The applicable action will automatically enable and display the following buttons:

• Add

• Reinstate

• Modify, or

• Remove

Based on the last CAL history action performed, the system will display one or more of the buttons on the lower portion of the CAL page.

The two buttons always enabled are:

• Cancel

• Help

B. Adding cases to CAL processing

If there is no previous CAL history, the disability determination services (DDS), the Office of Quality Review (OQR), and the Office of Hearings Operations (OHO) can manually add cases to CAL processing at any adjudication level.

The following chart includes a few examples for adding cases to CAL (but not limited to):

When the DDS or OQR manually adds a claim as CAL, the system sends the following message to both eView and the DDS legacy system: “Case has been identified as a Compassionate Allowance because of the following conditions: <insert conditions>.

C. Modifying a CAL case

DDS, OQR, and OHO can modify a case in CAL processing.

The following chart includes examples for modifying CAL cases (but not limited to):

The DDS can modify CAL conditions by removing the incorrect CAL condition and adding additional CAL conditions. Upon successfully modifying the CAL conditions, EDCS sends the following message to both eView and the DDS legacy system: “Case has been updated with the following Compassionate Allowance conditions: <insert reason>.”

D. Removing cases from CAL and QDD fast-track processing

IMPORTANT: A component must have jurisdiction to remove a case from fast-track processing.

1. CAL cases

DDS, OQR, and OHO can remove a case from CAL processing. When the DDS or OQR removes a claim from CAL processing as described in DI 23022.055A, EDCS sends an automatic message to both eView and the DDS legacy system, as follows: “Case has been removed from the Compassionate Allowance process because <insert reason>.”

2. QDD cases

DDS, OQR, or the RO, may remove a case from QDD processing only with supervisory approval. FO staff and supervisors do not have this capability. The DDS may remove a case from QDD processing at the point it meets any one of the criteria listed in this section. Remove a case from QDD using eView or your case processing system. To access the QDD page in eView:

1. Select the yellow Edit/Lock case link at the top of the page.

2. Select the QDD link at the far right on the header bar to display the QDD page. Click on the “Remove” button to display a box with a drop-down list of the reasons for removal.

3. Select the correct reason and then select “OK”. The system will remove the case from QDD, and the indicator on the header bar will change to QDD: N.

NOTE: The DDS can reinstate a case to QDD with DDS supervisory approval.

E. Streamlined fast-track processing removal reasons

You must identify the proper reason for removing cases from the fast-track process. The following is a list and explanation of removal reasons.

1. All claims in the case are denials

If after the adjudicator receives all available medical evidence and all claims in the case are denials, remove the case from fast-track processing. If any claim in a case is fully or partially favorable, do not remove from fast-track processing.

Examples of fully favorable, partially favorable, and fully unfavorable determinations:

• One claim is fully favorable, the other is not – Do not remove;

• One claim is a denial, the other is an adverse onset – Do not remove;

• Both claims are denials – Remove.

2. All claims in the case are DDS “no determinations”

Use this removal reason if the DDS returns all claims in the case to the FO with no determination.

For instructions on processing no determination claims, see DI 81020.127.

3. Non-fast-track action or development is required

Use this removal reason if any of the following applies:

• Class action re-adjudication

• Clearly not a CAL case –remove CAL only,

• Extensive FO development or assistance required,

• Medical deferment, or

• Reactivation or reopening.

The following chart explains when it’s appropriate to remove the case from fast-track processing due to required additional actions or development:

F. Reinstating a case to CAL or QDD fast-track processing

1. Reinstating a case to CAL processing

If the last action was a removal from CAL processing, DDS, OQR, and OHO can reinstate certain cases. The following chart includes examples for reinstatement (but are not limited to):

When the DDS reinstates a claim as CAL, EDCS will send the following message to both eView and the DDS legacy system: “Case has been identified as a Compassionate Allowance because of the following conditions: <insert conditions>.”

2. Reinstating a case to QDD processing

If necessary, with supervisory approval, you may reinstate a case previously removed from QDD.

G. References

• DI 23022.030 Identifying and Receipting Compassionate Allowances and Quick Disability Determinations Cases

• DI 23022.040 Compassionate Allowances and Quick Disability Determinations Fast-Track Case Development

• DI 23022.050 Making the Determination in a Compassionate Allowances or Quick Disability Determinations Fast-Track Case

• DI 27505.001 Conditions for Reopening a Final Determination or Decision

• DI 81010.085 Transferring Cases in the Electronic Disability Collect System (EDCS)

• DI 81020.117 Processing Medical Reactivations