Appointed Representative Services (ARS)

Appointed Representative Services (ARS)

Appointed Representative Services (ARS) is "an application that allows appointed representatives to view electronic folder (eFolder) documents in real-time, to download eFolder contents including multimedia files, and upload medical evidence and other documents directly into a claimant’s eFolder. Representatives may also download status reports with key information regarding their pending and recently closed cases.”

Who can enroll?

Representatives who are eligible for direct payment are mandated to enroll in ARS. However, non-attorneys who are ineligible for direct payment of fees can also enroll if they wish. Both SSA and the SOAR TA Center strongly encourage everyone who is representing applicants at the hearing or Appeals Council levels to enroll. 

How to Enroll? 

The full enrollment process can be found on SSA's Appointed Representative Services (ARS) page. You will need to follow these steps, in order. 

1. Contact your local hearing office by phone and “request an invitation” to enroll. Be sure to contact the office nearest you because an in-person visit will be required. Please note: Field offices do not enroll representatives. It must be a hearing office.   
2. Receive in the mail an invitation notice (view a sample invitation (PDF)) and a specially marked Form SSA-1699: Representative Registration (PDF). The SSA-1699 will be new to most SOAR providers - see the tips below for completing the form. (If you have already completed an SSA-1699 and have an Appointed Representative ID, you will not need to resubmit this form unless your information has changed. You will still need the invitation notice from the hearing office.) 
3. Complete and sign the SSA-1699, then fax it to 1-877-268-3827 for processing.
   • Once the SSA-1699 is processed, you will be mailed a User ID and Rep ID.
4. Contact your local hearing office to arrange a date, time, and location to complete the in-person enrollment. The in-person visit is an OMB requirement for authenticating your personal documents listed below. 
5. Attend the scheduled in-person enrollment event and bring the following:
   • Your invitation notice
   • A valid government-issued photo ID
   • A text-enabled cell phone

Completing the SSA-1699

All individuals who wish to represent someone before the Social Security Administration must register as representatives. This includes all SOAR providers who will submit the SSA-1696 to represent SSI/SSDI applicants.  Read more about completing and submitting this form. 

The SSA-1699 (PDF) is used for both requesting direct fee payment and requesting access to an applicant's eFolder. As SOAR providers, we are only interested in obtaining eFolder access. 

This annotated SSA-1699 demonstrates how SOAR providers should complete this form for eFolder access only (i.e., no direct pay). Note: Do not submit the annotated form.