Prototype Cases
Effective October 1, 1999, the Social Security Administration implemented (on a test basis) its "prototype redesign process." The goal was to expedite and streamline the process of determinations in disability cases.
Under the old system, if a claim was denied and the claimant wished to appeal, the claimant was required to file a "request for reconsideration." These appeals often took several months (or even more than a year) and resulted in a second denial approximately 85% of the time. Only after filing this appeal, however, could a claimant then file a request for a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge.
One part of the Administration's "prototype redesign process" was to eliminate the requirement of the "reconsideration" appeal step. If a claim (randomly marked as a "prototype" claim when initially filed) was denied, then the claimant was authorized to file the request for a hearing without the need to first go through the reconsideration step.
The "prototype redesign process" was implemented on a test basis in seventeen Los Angeles County Social Security Offices and also in nine states other than California. The process contained other elements: if a prototype claim was likely to be denied, then the claimant was to be given an opportunity beforehand to discuss the matter in person with an SSA representative. For any prototype claim which was denied, detailed documentation was to be included in the file. Full implementation was expected in 2001.
Full implementation of the "prototype redesign process" was never achieved, and many "prototype" aspects have since disappeared. However, the elimination of the requirement of the filing of the "reconsideration" appeal still remains in some cases.
