Data / Federal rules / 2025-01283
Further Extension of the Flexibility in Evaluating “Close Proximity of Time” To Evaluate Ongoing Changes in Healthcare
The Social Security Administration published this final rule in the Federal Register on January 17, 2025. It took effect on February 18, 2025.
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What the agency says
We are extending the flexibility in the "close proximity of time" standard, as defined in two prior temporary final rules (TFR), through May 11, 2029. We issued a TFR providing the "close proximity of time" flexibility on July 23, 2021, because the COVID-19 national public health emergency (PHE) caused many individuals to experience barriers that prevented them from timely accessing in-person healthcare. On September 29, 2023, we extended the flexibility to evaluate evolving healthcare practices and consumption in a post-PHE environment. We determined that we need additional time to fully evaluate still-evolving healthcare practices after the PHE. We are therefore issuing this TFR to extend the "close proximity of time" flexibility until May 11, 2029, so we can continue to evaluate changes in healthcare practices and determine the proper "close proximity of time" standard for the musculoskeletal disorders listings.
Key facts
- Document number
- 2025-01283
- Type
- Final rule
- Action
- Temporary final rule with request for comments
- Agency
- Social Security Administration
- Published
- January 17, 2025
- Takes effect
- February 18, 2025
- Dates
- Effective date: This TFR is effective on February 18, 2025.
- Docket
- Docket No. SSA-2024-0056
- Regulation ID (RIN)
- 0960-AI93
- Code of Federal Regulations
- 20 CFR 404; 20 CFR 416
- Topics
- Administrative practice and procedure; Aged; Blind; Disability benefits; Public assistance programs; Reporting and recordkeeping requirements; Social security; Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Pages
- 9
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Everything from the Social Security Administration · Rules on administrative practice and procedure · Rules on aged · Rules on blind · Published in January 2025
Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-23. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.