Title 45—Public Welfare--Volume 1
PART 509—FILING OF CLAIMS AND PROCEDURES THEREFOR
§ 509.1   Time for filing.
Claims must be filed as specified by the Commission by duly promulgated notice published in the Federal Register, or as specified in legislation passed by Congress, as applicable.
§ 509.2   Form, content and filing of claims.
(a) Unless otherwise specified by law, or by regulations published in the Federal Register, claims must be filed on official forms, which will be provided by the Commission upon request in writing addressed to the Commission at its office at 600 E Street, NW, Suite 6002, Washington, DC 20579. Each form must include all of the information called for in it and must be completed and signed in accordance with the instructions accompanying the form.
(b) Notice to the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission, the Department of State, or any other governmental office or agency of an intention to file a claim against a foreign government, prior to the enactment of the statute authorizing a claims program, prior to a referral of claims to the Commission by the Secretary for pre-adjudication, or prior to the effective date of a lump-sum claims settlement agreement, will not be considered as a timely filing of a claim under the statute, referral, or agreement.
(c) Any initial written indication of an intention to file a claim received within 30 days prior to the expiration of the filing period thereof will be considered as a timely filing of a claim if formalized within 30 days after the expiration of the filing period.
§ 509.3   Exhibits and documents in support of claim.
(a) Original documents. If available, all exhibits and documents must be filed with and at the same time as the claim, and must, wherever possible, be in the form of original documents, or copies or originals certified as such by their public or other official custodian.
(b) Documents in a foreign language. Each copy of a document, exhibit or paper filed, which is written or printed in a language other than English, must be accompanied by an English translation thereof duly verified under oath by its translator to be a true and accurate translation thereof, together with the name and address of the translator.
(c) Preparation of papers. All claims, briefs, and memoranda filed shall be typewritten or printed and, if typewritten, must be on business letter (8 1/2 ″ × 11″) size paper.
§ 509.4   Acknowledgment and numbering.
The Commission will acknowledge the receipt of a claim in writing and will notify the claimant of the claim number assigned to it, which number must be used on all further correspondence and papers filed with regard to the claim.
§ 509.5   Procedure for determination of claims.
(a) The Commission may on its own motion order a hearing upon any claim, specifying the questions to which the hearing shall be limited.
(b) Without previous hearing, the Commission or a designated member of the staff may issue a Proposed Decision in determination of a claim. This Proposed Decision will set forth findings of fact and conclusions of law on the relevant elements of the claim, to the extent that evidence and information relevant to such elements is before the Commission. The claimant will have the burden of proof in submitting evidence and information sufficient to establish the elements necessary for a determination of the validity and amount of his or her claim.
(c) The Proposed Decision will be delivered to the claimant or the claimant's attorney of record in person or by mail. Delivery by mail will be deemed completed 5 days after the mailing of the Proposed Decision addressed to the last known address of the claimant or the claimant's attorney of record. A copy of the Proposed Decision will be available for public inspection at the offices of the Commission, except in cases where public disclosure of the names of claimants is barred by statute.
(d) It will be the policy of the Commission to post on a bulletin board and on its World Wide Web site ( http://www.usdoj.gov/fcsc ), any information of general interest to claimants before the Commission.
(e) When the Proposed Decision denies a claim in whole or in part, the claimant may file notice of objection to the denial within 15 days of delivery of the decision. If the claimant wishes to appear at an oral hearing before the Commission to present his or her objection, the claimant must request the oral hearing at the time of submission of his or her objection, stating the reasons for objection, and may request a hearing on the claim, specifying whether for the taking of evidence or for oral argument on the legal issues which are the subject of the objection.
(f) Copies of objections to or requests for hearings on Proposed Decisions will be available for public inspection at the Commission's offices.
(g) Upon the expiration of 30 days after delivery to the claimant or claimant's attorney, if no objection under this section has in the meantime been filed, a staff Proposed Decision, upon approval by the Commission, will become the Commission's final determination and decision on the claim. A Proposed Decision issued by the Commission will become final 30 days after delivery to the claimant or the claimant's attorney without further order or decision by the Commission.
(h) If an objection has in the meantime been filed, but no hearing requested, the Commission may, after due consideration thereof:
(1) Issue a Final Decision affirming or modifying its Proposed Decision,
(2) Issue an Amended Proposed Decision, or
(3) On its own motion order hearing thereon, indicating whether for the taking of evidence on specified questions or for the hearing of oral arguments.
(i) After the conclusion of a hearing, upon the expiration of any time allowed by the Commission for further submissions, the Commission may proceed to issue a Final Decision in determination of the claim.
(j)(1) In case an individual claimant dies prior to the issuance of the Final Decision, that person's legal representative will be substituted as party claimant. However, upon failure of a representative to qualify for substitution, the Commission may issue its decision in the name of the estate of the deceased and, in case of an award, certify the award in the same manner to the Secretary of the Treasury for payment, if the payment of the award is provided for by statute.
(2) Notice of the Commission's action under this paragraph will be forwarded to the claimant's attorney of record, or if the claimant is not represented by an attorney, the notice will be addressed to the estate of the claimant at the last known place of residence.
(3) The term legal representative as applied in this paragraph means, in general, the administrator or executor, heir(s), next of kin, or descendant(s).
(k) After the date of filing with the Commission no claim may be amended to reflect the assignment thereof by the claimant to any other person or entity except as otherwise provided by statute.
(l) At any time after a final Decision has been issued on a claim, or a Proposed Decision has been entered as the Final Decision on a claim, but not later than 60 days before the completion date of the Commission's affairs in connection with the program under which such claim is filed, a petition to reopen on the ground of newly discovered evidence may be filed. No such petition will be entertained unless it appears therein that the newly discovered evidence came to the knowledge of the party filing the petition subsequent to the date of issuance of the Final Decision or the date on which the Proposed Decision was entered as the Final Decision; that it was not for want of due diligence that the evidence did not come sooner to the claimant's knowledge; and that the evidence is material, and not merely cumulative, and that reconsideration of the matter on the basis of that evidence would produce a different decision. The petition must include a statement of the facts which the petitioner expects to prove, the name and address of each witness, the identity of documents, and the reasons for failure to make earlier submission of the evidence.
§ 509.6   Hearings.
(a) Hearings, whether upon the Commission's own motion or upon request of claimant, will be held upon not less than fifteen days' notice of the time and place thereof.
(b) The hearings will be open to the public unless otherwise requested by claimant and ordered by the Commission, or when required by law.
(c) The hearings will be conducted by the Commission, its designee or designees. Oral testimony and documentary evidence, including depositions that may have been taken as provided by statute and the rules of practices, may be offered in evidence on the claimant's behalf or by counsel for the Commission designated by it to represent the public interest opposed to the allowance of any unjust or unfounded claim or portion thereof; and either may cross-examine as to evidence offered through witnesses on behalf of the other. Objections to the admission of any such evidence will be ruled upon by the presiding officer.
(d) The hearings will be conducted as non-adversarial proceedings. However, the claimant will be the moving party, and will have the burden of proof on all issues involved in the determination of his or her claim.
(e) Hearings may be stenographically reported or electronically recorded, either at the request of the claimant or upon the discretion of the Commission. A claimant making such a request must notify the Commission at least ten (10) days prior to the hearing date. When a stenographic record or transcript of a hearing is ordered at the claimant's request, the cost of the reporting and transcription will be charged to the claimant.
(f) The following rules of procedure will apply in the conduct of hearings held by the Commission for presentation of objections to Proposed Decisions:
(1) Presentation of objections to Proposed Decisions. (i) Objections should focus either on the presentation of new evidence, or on the presentation of arguments demonstrating that, in the claimant's view, the Commission erred in considering the evidence previously submitted. Restatements of facts, evidence or materials already established in the record should be avoided.
(ii) The Chief Counsel of the Commission or designated staff attorney will first introduce the objecting claimant and any witnesses to the Commission, and will then present a brief summary of the case, together with reasons supporting the decision as issued.
(iii) The objecting claimant and all witnesses will be sworn.
(iv) The objecting claimant, or the claimant's attorney, will then present the claimant's objections to the Commission, specifically setting forth the basis for the claimant's disagreement with the Proposed Decision, and the reasons supporting the claimant's contention that a more favorable decision should be rendered. Claimants will normally be limited to fifteen (15) minutes for their presentation of objections, but may request additional time if needed.
(v) Following presentation of the claimant's objection, the Chief Counsel or designated staff attorney will be allotted an equivalent amount of time to question the claimant and the claimant's witnesses with respect to the testimony and other evidence presented in support of the objection.
(vi) The objecting claimant or the claimant's attorney, and the Chief Counsel or designated staff attorney, will then be allotted up to five (5) minutes each for follow-up or rebuttal.
(vii) The Chair and Commissioners may direct questions to the objecting claimant and the claimant's attorney, and to the Chief Counsel or designated staff attorney, at any time during the proceedings described in the foregoing.
(viii) The foregoing provisions may be modified at the discretion of the Chair as circumstances may require.
(ix) At the conclusion, the Chair will inform the participants that the Commission will take the matter under advisement, and that a written Final Decision disposing of the objection will issue in due course.
(2) Submission to Questioning/Conduct of Proceedings (i) Presentation of the claimant's objection by the objecting claimant or the claimant's attorney, and of follow-up and rebuttal by the claimant or the claimant's attorney and by the Chief Counsel or designated staff attorney, must be directed to the Commission. Verbal exchanges between the objecting claimant or the claimant's attorney, and the Chief Counsel or designated staff attorney, will be limited to questions and answers during the questioning phase of the proceeding described in paragraph (f)(1)(v) of this section, unless otherwise necessary for clarification or exchange of documents.
(ii) Professional conduct and courtesies of the kind normally accorded in appellate judicial proceedings must be observed in all appearances and proceedings before the Commission.
§ 509.7   Presettlement conference.
The Commission on its own motion or initiative, or upon the application of a claimant for good cause shown, may direct that a presettlement conference be held with respect to any issue involved in a claim.