§ 2204.301 Application requirements.

            (a) A party seeking an award under EAJA shall file an application with the judge that conducted the adversarial adjudication within 30 days after the final disposition of the adversary adjudication.

            (b) The application shall identify the applicant and the proceeding for which an award is sought. The application shall show that the applicant has prevailed and identify the position of the Secretary that the applicant alleges was not substantially justified; or, if the applicant has not prevailed, shall show that the Secretary’s demand was substantially in excess of the decision of the judge or Commission and was unreasonable when compared with that decision under the facts and circumstances of that case.  The application shall also identify the Secretary’s position(s) in the proceeding that the applicant alleges was (were) not substantially justified or the Secretary’s demand that is alleged to be excessive and unreasonable.  Unless the applicant is an individual, the application shall also state the number of employees of the applicant and briefly describe the type and purpose of its organization or business.

            (c) The application shall also show that the applicant meets the definition of “party” in § 2204.201, including adequate documentation of its net worth, as set forth in § 2204.302.

            (d) The application shall state the amount of fees and expenses for which an award is sought, subject to the requirements and limitations as set forth in 5 U.S.C. 504(b)(1)(A), with adequate documentation as set forth in § 2204.303.

            (e) The application shall be signed by the applicant or an authorized officer, attorney, or agent of the applicant.  It shall also contain or be accompanied by a written verification under penalty of perjury that the information provided in the application is true and correct.

§ 2204.302 Net worth exhibit.

           (a) Each applicant except a qualified tax-exempt organization, cooperative association, or, in the case of an application for an award related to an allegedly excessive demand by the Secretary, a small entity as that term is defined by 5 U.S.C. 601(6), shall provide with its application a detailed exhibit showing the net worth of the applicant as required by § 2204.301(c) when the proceeding was initiated.  The exhibit may be in any form convenient to the applicant that provides full disclosure of the applicant’s assets and liabilities and is sufficient to determine whether the applicant qualifies as a party as defined in § 2204.201.The judge or Commission may require an applicant to file additional information to determine its eligibility for an award.

            (b) Ordinarily, the net worth exhibit will be included in the public record of the proceeding.  However, an applicant that objects to public disclosure of information in any portion of the exhibit and believes there are legal grounds for withholding it from disclosure may request that the documents be filed under seal or otherwise be treated as confidential, pursuant to §§ 2200.8 and 2200.52 of this chapter.

§ 2204.303 Documentation of fees and expenses.

The application shall be accompanied by adequate documentation of the fees and other expenses incurred after the initiation of the adversary adjudication, including, but not limited to, the reasonable cost of any study, analysis, engineering report, test, or project.  An application seeking an increase in fees to account for inflation pursuant to § 2200.406 of this chapter shall also include adequate documentation of the change in the consumer price index for the attorney or agent’s locality.  With respect to a claim for fees and expenses involving an excessive demand by the Secretary, the application shall be accompanied by adequate documentation of such fees and expenses incurred after initiation of the adversary adjudication for which an award is sought attributable to the portion of the demand alleged to be excessive and unreasonable.  A separate itemized statement shall be submitted for each professional firm or individual whose services are covered by the application, showing the hours spent in connection with the proceeding by each individual, a description of the specific services performed, the rate at which each fee has been computed, any expenses for which reimbursement is sought, the total amount claimed, and the total amount paid or payable by the applicant or by any other person or entity for the services provided.  The judge or Commission may require the applicant to provide vouchers, receipts, or other substantiation for any fees or expenses claimed.