435.80—Appeal process.
(a) Levels of appeal.
Grantee institutions (grantees) may appeal certain post-award adverse grant administration decisions made by SSA officials in the administration of discretionary grant programs. SSA has two levels of appeal:
(1)
Initial appeal to the Associate Commissioner for the Office of Acquisition and Grants (ACOAG) from an adverse decision rendered by the Grant Management Officer (GMO); and
(2)
Final appeal to the Commissioner of Social Security from an adverse decision rendered by the ACOAG.
(b) Decisions that may be appealed.
The following types of adverse post-award written decisions by the GMO may be appealed:
(1)
A disallowance or other determination denying payment of an amount claimed under an award. This does not apply to determinations of award amount or disposition of unobligated balances, or selection in the award document of an option for disposition of program-related income.
(2)
A termination of an award for failure of the grantee to comply with any law, regulation, assurance, term, or condition applicable to the award.
(3)
A denial of a noncompeting continuation award under the project period system of funding where the denial is for failure to comply with the terms and conditions of a previous award.
(4)
A voiding of an award on the basis that it was fraudulently obtained or because the award was not authorized by statute or regulation.
(c) Notice of adverse decision and requirements of grantee response.
The Grants Management Officer's (GMO) adverse post-award written decision should include the following statement:
This is the final decision of the Grants Management Officer. It will become the final decision of the Social Security Administration unless you submit a request for review of this decision to the Associate Commissioner for the Office of Acquisition and Grants, 1710 Gwynn Oak Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21207-5279. Your request for review must be in writing, include a copy of this decision, and fully state why you disagree with it. The request for review must be received by the ACOAG no later than 30 calendar days after the date of this decision.