Social Security Administration January 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (Evidence Act) requires Federal agencies to develop an evidence- building plan, referred to as a Learning Agenda, to identify and address policy questions relevant to agency programs, policies, and regulations. Through this Request for Information (RFI), we seek public input to help us expand our ongoing efforts to update and revise priority questions from our evidence-building activities.

We are revising our rules regarding service of legal process in lawsuits involving judicial review of final decisions of the Commissioner of Social Security on individual claims for benefits under title II, VIII, or XVI of the Social Security Act (Act) or individual claims for a Medicare Part D subsidy under title XVIII of the Act. We are revising our rules to provide that when summonses and complaints in these lawsuits are mailed, they should be sent to a central address, regardless of where the lawsuit is filed. We will also accept electronic service in these suits in accordance with the new Supplemental Rules for Social Security Actions, added to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) effective December 1, 2022. Additionally, we are updating our headquarters address; removing obsolete references and past jurisdictional responsibilities of regional Office of the General Counsel (OGC) offices, which no longer exist; and making other minor editorial changes. We expect that these changes will make the service of process for affected cases more streamlined and consistent with the FRCP.