Questão jurídica principal
Whether the appeal against the IV office decision of 2016-09-26 was filed within the 30-day deadline.
Decisão extraída
The appeal was untimely because the appellant received a copy of the decision shortly after issuance and failed to contact his representative within the required time; the filing on 2017-02-28 came too late.
Fundamentação extraída
Even if the original decision was not properly served on counsel, the appellant had actual knowledge of the refusal decision and was obliged, under good faith, to inquire with counsel within about 30 days. No special circumstances justified a later start of the appeal period.