The Office of General Council is the Social Security Administration (SSA) agency that is responsible for overseeing and advising the SSA on legal issues regarding the programs administered by the SSA. Because Social Security Disability is one of the programs that the Office of General Counsel handles, this agency can have a significant impact on your application for Social Security Disability benefits.
Chances are that you will not have any direct contact with the Office of General Counsel. While it is very rare for a Social Security Disability applicant to interact with the Office of General Counsel, it is important to understand what this agency does and the responsibilities it handles.
The Office of General Counsel is the agency that is in charge of putting policies and procedures into place that will affect the outcome of your Social Security Disability claim. These policies ensure that the SSA complies with the laws that govern the Social Security Disability program and that certain rights of Social Security Disability applicants are protected.
There are three main divisions of the Office of General Counsel including the Office of General Law, the Office of Program Law and the Office of Privacy and Disclosure. Each of these offices is headed by an Associate General Counsel. There are also Regional Chief Counsels who oversee each of the ten SSA regions.
In addition to putting policies and laws into place that affect the Social Security Disability program, The Office of General Counsel is also in charge of protecting the privacy and information of Social Security Disability applicants. The IT department that is managed by this agency maintains the data and data systems for the SSA, ensuring that the personal information provided by Social Security Disability applicants is not compromised or obtained by unauthorized third parties.
