§ 110.44 Legal or personal representatives of requesters.

(a) Generally. Persons other than a requester (e.g., a lawyer, guardian, family member, friend) may file a Request Package on a requester's behalf as his or her legal or personal representative. A requester need not use the services of a lawyer to apply for benefits under this Program. A legal representative, or a personal representative (who does not need to be a lawyer) is only required, as described in this section, for requesters who are minors or adults who lack legal capacity to receive payment of benefits. In the event that a legal or personal representative files on behalf of a requester, the representative will be bound by the obligations and documentation requirements that apply to the requester (e.g., if a requester is required to submit employment records, the representative must file the requester's employment records). The representative must also satisfy the requirements specific to representatives set out in this part. If a requester has a representative, the Program will generally direct all communications to the representative. However, the Secretary reserves the right of the Program to contact the requester directly if necessary, and to conduct a follow-up survey to determine the ability of the Program to meet requesters' needs.