Last Update: 7/22/05 (Transmittal I-2-59)
When the Post Office returns a claimant's Notice of Dismissal and Order of Dismissal as undeliverable (e.g., the claimant moved and left no forwarding address), the responsible employee or other designated person will:
telephone the claimant's representative, if any, or send a brief memorandum to the field office servicing the claimant's last known address requesting the claimant's new address;
query PCOMS to obtain a Modernized Development Worksheet to determine if a new address has been provided to SSA through the 800 telephone number, and also check FACT, SSID, and CPMS for a new address;
prepare a new Notice of Dismissal, when the new address is known. Use the current date and language that informs the claimant the dismissal previously was undeliverable and that the time period for appeal begins with receipt of the new notice; and
transmit the dismissal, using the new notice, following usual procedures. (See I-2-4-5 C., Transmitting the Order of Dismissal.)
If all attempts to obtain the claimant's new address are unsuccessful, forward the original undelivered envelope, the Notice of Dismissal, and the Order of Dismissal with documentation of all attempts to obtain the new address (e.g., copies of correspondence and reports of telephone contacts), to the appropriate location for association with the claim file. These documents may be helpful in determining the action to take if the claimant later inquires about the case.
If the Post Office returns the representative's copies of the Notice of Dismissal and the Order of Dismissal, send the copies to the claimant with a cover letter explaining that the Post Office returned the representative's copies as undeliverable.
Forward the original undelivered envelope and a copy of the cover letter to the appropriate location for association with the claim file. These documents may be helpful in determining the action to take if the representative later inquires about the case.