Last Update: 9/28/05 (Transmittal I-2-68)
Each RO maintains a roster of MEs and VEs who have agreed to provide impartial expert opinion pursuant to a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA). Except as provided in I-2-5-36 and I-2-5-52, every ME or VE who testifies at a Social Security hearing or provides a written response to an interrogatory must be covered under a BPA. The same terms and conditions which apply to an ME or VE providing services pursuant to a BPA apply also to an ME or VE providing services on a one time basis. (Also see I-2-5-61, Use of Dually-Qualified Vocational and Medical Experts.)