---
title: "Request a statement of grounds and test the reasons that were given"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/administrative-and-public-law/draft-a-statement-of-reasons-request-and-a-reasons-deficiency-table/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A31-T1-R3-US"
practice_area: "Administrative & Public Law"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Request a statement of grounds and test the reasons that were given

> Quote each reason in the decision and list the facts the client says are missing from it. Draft no letter.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/administrative-and-public-law/draft-a-statement-of-reasons-request-and-a-reasons-deficiency-table/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Administrative & Public Law](https://ailawframework.com/practice/administrative-and-public-law.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | Quote each reason in the decision and list the facts the client says are missing from it. Draft no letter. |
| What the lawyer must review | 5 U.S.C. § 555(e) requires prompt notice of the denial in whole or in part of a written application, petition, or other request of an interested person made in connection with any agency proceeding. Except when the agency affirms a prior denial or the denial is self-explanatory, the notice must include a brief statement of the grounds for denial. You decide whether this denial needed that statement and what to ask for. A statutory hearing under § 554 has its own notice contents. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Draft a statement-of-reasons request and a reasons-deficiency table](https://ailawframework.com/practice/administrative-and-public-law/draft-a-statement-of-reasons-request-and-a-reasons-deficiency-table.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: Quote each reason in the decision and list the facts the client says are missing from it. Draft no letter.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- Section 554 applies to an adjudication required by statute to be determined on the record after an opportunity for a hearing, and it lists exclusions. It is not a universal reasons duty.
- Do not demand an Australian statement of reasons or a tribunal form.

## Sources

- [5 U.S.C. § 555, Ancillary matters](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/555) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [5 U.S.C. § 554, Adjudications](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/554) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Request for reasons for a QCAT decision](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/administrative-and-public-law/form-qld-qcat-request-reasons.md) | Form | Yellow | Link to QCAT's online request for reasons for a decision. The forms index lists it as its own online service. |

Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*