Interesting point which confirmed my earlier suspicion that, although the Branch or GB no longer "appoints" elders/MS, the CO is still under the thumb of the Branch on this:
Chapter 17.3: When the body of elders of a congregation has decided to recommend the appointment of one or more brothers in connection with the upcoming visit of the circuit overseer, the Congregation Service Committee will send him a completed Recommendations for Appointment of Elders and Ministerial Servants (S-62) form at least one month before his visit. The circuit overseer should immediately forward the form to the Service Department. Such recommendations should not be considered until clearance to proceed has been received from the branch office (BOLD is in original text). Even when clearance is received, this does not indicate that the branch office has endorsed the recommendations. It simply means that the circuit overseer may now give consideration to the recommendations during the upcoming visit. The branch office does not perform a check of the person’s age, marital status, previous appointments and deletions, or the like (emphasis mine).
So the Branch doesn't "appoint" or "approve" appointments-- they "endorse". The Legal Department's fingerprints are all over this. Great way to insulate the Branch from claims they are legally/financially liable for elders' actions.
I have no doubt that what the Branch IS checking is whether the brother is on the WTS "non-existent" accused child molester database.