Completed projects

In April 2018, the President signed into law the “Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act of 2018” following its unanimous passage in both the United States Senate and House of Representatives (

Based on a survey of the entire United States Code, the Sourcebook (available here) comprehensively analyzes more than 650 statutory provisions that govern how federal courts review agency rules and orders.

The Administrative Conference undertook a project to examine the agencies and other organizational entities of the federal executive establishment, including independent agencies.  The resulting report catalogues a comprehensive set of characteristics for each entity, including structure (e.g., commission or single-head agency, internal organization), personnel (e.g., number and types of appointed positions, limitations on removal), decis

In December 2018, the Administrative Conference published a second edition of the Sourcebook of United States Executive Agencies. The Administrative Conference previously undertook a project to examine the agencies and other organizational entities of the federal executive establishment, including independent agencies, and published the

Recommendation 2016-3 – Special Procedural Rules for Social Security Litigation in District Court encourages the Judicial Conference of the United States to develop a uniform set of procedural rules for cases under the Social Security Act in which an individual seeks district court review of a final administrative decision of the Commissioner of Social Security pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 405(g).

At the request of the Social Security Administration (SSA), the Office of the Chairman studied the duty of candor and the submission of all evidence in Social Security disability claims.  The resulting report briefly reviews and summarizes the Social Security Act and SSA’s current regulations and practices regarding the duty of candor and the submission of all evidence.  It also reviews requirements from other tribunals, the Fed

The Social Security Administration (SSA) engaged the Office of the Chairman to conduct an independent study of federal court review in social security disability insurance and supplemental security income cases. The project consultants:

• Reviewed and analyzed the Social Security Act, as well as SSA’s implementing regulations, policies, and practices for adjudicating claims under titles II and XVI.

At the request of the Social Security Administration (SSA), the Office of the Chairman studied state guardianship/conservatorship laws and court practices with an eye toward improved information sharing between SSA and state courts.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) engaged the Office of the Chairman to conduct an independent study reviewing and analyzing SSA’s laws, regulations, policies, and practices concerning evaluation of claimants’ symptoms in the adjudication of social security disability claims.  The Office of the Chairman prepared a report advising SSA on how to best articulate the scope of symptom evaluation in its adjudication process, so as to imp

At its 2016 Midyear Meeting, the ABA's House of Delegates approved Resolution 106B. The resolution proposes various reforms to the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act, many of which embrace principles endorsed in past ACUS recommendations. This project reviewed the resolution and served as an opportunity for the Conference to offer comments, where appropriate.