diff --git a/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/license-review/components/DecisionConfirmModal.tsx b/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/license-review/components/DecisionConfirmModal.tsx
index 2c34fc9cd..47265f5c9 100644
--- a/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/license-review/components/DecisionConfirmModal.tsx
+++ b/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/license-review/components/DecisionConfirmModal.tsx
@@ -134,7 +134,10 @@ export function DecisionConfirmModal({
 
   if (!action) return null;
 
-  const needsOfficer = action.id === 'assign' || action.id === 'escalate';
+  const needsOfficer =
+    action.id === 'assign' ||
+    action.id === 'assign-reviewer' ||
+    action.id === 'escalate';
   const reasonMissing = action.requiresReason && !reason.trim() && !reasonCode;
   const blocked =
     reasonMissing ||
diff --git a/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/license-review/config/actions.ts b/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/license-review/config/actions.ts
index 2ce63ea65..d641a7689 100644
--- a/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/license-review/config/actions.ts
+++ b/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/license-review/config/actions.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ export type ActionTier =
 export type ActionId =
   | 'claim'
   | 'assign'
+  | 'assign-reviewer'
   | 'escalate'
   | 'hold'
   | 'resume'
@@ -68,6 +69,18 @@ export const ACTIONS: ActionDefinition[] = [
   // Claim is deliberately absent here: an officer claims from the queue
   // (LicenseQueuePage), not from this detail page. That implementation is
   // separate — see LicenseQueuePage/actions.tsx — and is unaffected by this.
+  {
+    // Starts the review under the push model: the team leader hands a freshly
+    // submitted (or eligibility-paid) file to an employee. Without it a CoC/CoP
+    // sitting in ELIGIBILITY_PAID had no action at all — the server offers only
+    // `claim` (a permission no seeded role holds) and this.
+    id: 'assign-reviewer',
+    tier: 'primary',
+    labelKey: 'review.actions.assignReviewer',
+    from: ['SUBMITTED', 'ELIGIBILITY_PAID'],
+    permissions: ['can:assign:license-application'],
+    emphasis: 'filled',
+  },
   {
     id: 'assign',
     tier: 'workflow',
@@ -302,6 +315,7 @@ export interface ResolveContext {
 const WORKFLOW_EVENT_IDS = new Set<ActionId>([
   'claim',
   'assign',
+  'assign-reviewer',
   'escalate',
   'hold',
   'resume',
@@ -364,9 +378,13 @@ export function resolveActions(ctx: ResolveContext): ResolvedAction[] {
         disabledReason: reason,
       });
 
-      // Decisions belong to whoever holds the application.
+      // Decisions belong to whoever holds the application. Assigning a
+      // reviewer is the team leader handing work out, so it is exempt — the
+      // leader is by definition not the officer who will hold it.
       const needsOwnership =
-        action.tier === 'primary' && action.id !== 'confirm-payment';
+        action.tier === 'primary' &&
+        action.id !== 'confirm-payment' &&
+        action.id !== 'assign-reviewer';
       if (
         needsOwnership &&
         app.assignedOfficerId &&
diff --git a/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/license-review/pages/LicenseReviewPage/index.tsx b/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/license-review/pages/LicenseReviewPage/index.tsx
index c26ec2cc8..c6bc05dd5 100644
--- a/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/license-review/pages/LicenseReviewPage/index.tsx
+++ b/apps/backoffice/src/app/features/license-review/pages/LicenseReviewPage/index.tsx
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ import {
   useLocalized,
   useApproveDocumentsMutation,
   useAssignApplicationMutation,
+  useAssignReviewerMutation,
   useClaimApplicationMutation,
   useCompleteReviewMutation,
   useConfirmPaymentMutation,
@@ -217,6 +218,7 @@ export function LicenseReviewPage() {
   const [resumeApplication] = useResumeApplicationMutation();
   const [escalateApplication] = useEscalateApplicationMutation();
   const [assignApplication] = useAssignApplicationMutation();
+  const [assignReviewer] = useAssignReviewerMutation();
   // Real officer list, so Assign and Escalate name a person instead of
   // silently reassigning to whoever already held the application.
   const { data: officers = [] } = useGetAssignableOfficersQuery();
@@ -670,6 +672,18 @@ export function LicenseReviewPage() {
             t("review.done.escalate", "Escalated"),
           );
           break;
+        case "assign-reviewer":
+          if (!submission.officerId) return;
+          await run(
+            () =>
+              assignReviewer({
+                id,
+                officerId: submission.officerId as string,
+                remark: submission.reason,
+              }).unwrap(),
+            t("review.done.assignReviewer", "Review assigned"),
+          );
+          break;
         case "assign":
           if (!submission.officerId) return;
           await run(
diff --git a/apps/backoffice/src/app/i18n/locales/am.ts b/apps/backoffice/src/app/i18n/locales/am.ts
index 458b638e6..ae6c4d533 100644
--- a/apps/backoffice/src/app/i18n/locales/am.ts
+++ b/apps/backoffice/src/app/i18n/locales/am.ts
@@ -998,6 +998,7 @@ export const am: Translations = {
     actions: {
       claim: "ውሰድ",
       assign: "መድብ",
+      assignReviewer: "ገምጋሚ መድብ",
       escalate: "ወደ ላይ አሳድግ",
       hold: "አግድ",
       resume: "ቀጥል",
@@ -1056,6 +1057,7 @@ export const am: Translations = {
       hold: "ለ{{applicant}} ማመልከቻ {{number}} ያግዳል። ለእርስዎ ተመድቦ ይቆያል።",
       resume: "ማመልከቻ {{number}} ወደ ታገደበት ደረጃ ይመልሳል።",
       escalate: "ማመልከቻ {{number}} ለውሳኔ ወደ የበላይ ኃላፊ ያሳድጋል።",
+      "assign-reviewer": "ማመልከቻ {{number}} ለተመረጠው ሹም ሰጥቶ ግምገማውን ያስጀምራል።",
       "confirm-payment": "ለማመልከቻ {{number}} ክፍያ ያረጋግጣል።",
       "schedule-exam": "ለማመልከቻ {{number}} {{applicant}}ን ለፈተና ክፍለ ጊዜ ይመድባል።",
     },
@@ -1150,6 +1152,7 @@ export const am: Translations = {
       resume: "ማመልከቻው ቀጥሏል",
       escalate: "ወደ ላይ አድጓል",
       assign: "እንደገና ተመድቧል",
+      assignReviewer: "ግምገማ ተመድቧል",
       scheduled: "ምርመራ ተይዟል",
       inspectionPassed: "ምርመራ አልፏል",
       inspectionFailed: "ምርመራ ወድቋል",
diff --git a/apps/backoffice/src/app/i18n/locales/en.ts b/apps/backoffice/src/app/i18n/locales/en.ts
index 73a9d96d7..b217be98c 100644
--- a/apps/backoffice/src/app/i18n/locales/en.ts
+++ b/apps/backoffice/src/app/i18n/locales/en.ts
@@ -1007,6 +1007,7 @@ export const en = {
     actions: {
       claim: 'Claim',
       assign: 'Assign',
+      assignReviewer: 'Assign reviewer',
       escalate: 'Escalate',
       hold: 'Put on hold',
       resume: 'Resume',
@@ -1064,6 +1065,8 @@ export const en = {
       hold: 'Parks application {{number}} for {{applicant}}. It stays assigned to you.',
       resume: 'Returns application {{number}} to the stage it was held from.',
       escalate: 'Raises application {{number}} to a supervisor for a decision.',
+      'assign-reviewer':
+        'Hands application {{number}} to the chosen officer and starts the review.',
       'confirm-payment': 'Confirms settlement for application {{number}}.',
       'schedule-exam': 'Assigns {{applicant}} to an exam session for application {{number}}.',
     },
@@ -1155,6 +1158,7 @@ export const en = {
       resume: 'Application resumed',
       escalate: 'Escalated',
       assign: 'Reassigned',
+      assignReviewer: 'Review assigned',
       scheduled: 'Inspection scheduled',
       inspectionPassed: 'Inspection passed',
       inspectionFailed: 'Inspection failed',
diff --git a/libs/api/src/lib/features/licensing/licensing-api.ts b/libs/api/src/lib/features/licensing/licensing-api.ts
index 3e17464ff..665aaf8ab 100644
--- a/libs/api/src/lib/features/licensing/licensing-api.ts
+++ b/libs/api/src/lib/features/licensing/licensing-api.ts
@@ -856,6 +856,23 @@ export const licensingApi = baseApi
           error ? [] : [itemTag('LicenseApplication', id), listTag('ApplicationQueue')],
       }),
 
+      /**
+       * Starts the review: the team leader hands the file to an employee.
+       * `assign` above only re-points an application already in flight.
+       */
+      assignReviewer: builder.mutation<
+        LicenseApplication,
+        { id: string; officerId: string; remark?: string }
+      >({
+        query: ({ id, ...body }) => ({
+          url: `/license-application-review/${id}/assign-reviewer`,
+          method: 'POST',
+          body,
+        }),
+        invalidatesTags: (_r, error, { id }) =>
+          error ? [] : [itemTag('LicenseApplication', id), listTag('ApplicationQueue')],
+      }),
+
       holdApplication: builder.mutation<
         LicenseApplication,
         { id: string; reason: string }
@@ -1050,6 +1067,7 @@ export const {
   useRevokeLicenseMutation,
   useReinstateLicenseMutation,
   useAssignApplicationMutation,
+  useAssignReviewerMutation,
   useHoldApplicationMutation,
   useResumeApplicationMutation,
   useEscalateApplicationMutation,