Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Saksbehandleren ber om dokumentasjon før hun kan godkjenne søknaden. - The caseworker asks for documentation before she can approve the application.

saksbehandler = (a) caseworker
saksbehandleren = the caseworker (a specific, known one in the context)
Here it’s a particular caseworker handling the application, so the definite form is natural.

Why is søknad written as søknaden?

Same idea: søknaden is the definite singular form, meaning the application (a specific one).

What is the grammar of ber om—why two words?

The verb is å be (ber in the present tense), and it commonly takes the preposition om to mean to ask for / request:

å be om noe = to request something
So ber om dokumentasjon is the standard way to say requests documentation.

Why is it ber and not something like berer or berte?

Norwegian present tense is usually formed with -r, but there are many common irregular verbs. Å be is irregular:

Is dokumentasjon countable? Why isn’t it en dokumentasjon?

Dokumentasjon is often used as a mass/uncountable noun meaning documentation in general. In that use, you typically don’t add an article:

ber om dokumentasjon = requests documentation (some set of documents/evidence)
You can see en dokumentasjon in more specialized contexts meaning a (particular) documentation/record, but it’s less common in everyday bureaucratic language.

Why does the sentence use hun when saksbehandleren isn’t grammatically feminine?

Hun here refers to the person’s real-life gender, not the grammatical gender of the noun.

saksbehandleren is grammatically common gender (usually takes -en)
But the caseworker is being referred to as she, so you get hun
If the caseworker were male or unknown/unspecified, you might see han or a rephrasing.

Why is the verb order ber … før hun kan …—what’s going on with word order?

The first part is a normal main clause:

Saksbehandleren (subject) + ber (verb) + rest
After før, you have a subordinate clause, and subordinate clauses have a different word order than main clauses. The core pattern is:
før
- subject (hun) + (adverbs, if any) + verb (kan) + rest
  So før hun kan godkjenne søknaden is exactly what you’d expect.

Why is there kan + godkjenne (two verbs)?

Kan is a modal verb (can/be able to/be allowed to), and modals are followed by the infinitive of the main verb:

kan godkjenne = can approve
Using kan adds the idea of being able/allowed to approve—i.e., approval isn’t possible until the documentation is provided.

Could you also say før hun godkjenner søknaden without kan?

Yes, but it slightly changes the nuance:

før hun kan godkjenne søknaden = before she can/is able to approve (ability/permission depends on documentation)
før hun godkjenner søknaden = before she approves (more like a timeline statement, less emphasis on ability/requirement)

Why isn’t there a comma before før?

In Norwegian, when a subordinate clause comes after the main clause, you typically don’t use a comma:

Saksbehandleren ber om dokumentasjon før hun kan godkjenne søknaden.
But if the subordinate clause comes first, you normally use a comma after it:
Før hun kan godkjenne søknaden, ber saksbehandleren om dokumentasjon.