Administrative Law Judge

On December 23, 2011, as part of the Managers Report accompanying the SSA Fiscal Year 2012 appropriations, OIG staff were asked to assess the legislative and administrative options, including potential challenges, for expanding access to video hearings at SSA.  The report is a…

In June of 2011 the Chairman of Subcommittee and other members of the House Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Social Security, requested OIG to assess the use and effectiveness of management controls regarding administrative ALJs' adherence to the SSA policies and…

SSA issued its final rule on banning certain individuals (both general public and claimants) from the ODAR offices whenever the Hearing Office Chief Administrative Judge finds that an individual "poses a threat." The language of the final rule is unchanged from the interim final rule with one…

In the report, OIG identifes the ALJs who were "significant outliers either in terms of their productivity or decisional allowance rates," examines factors that may account for variances, and determine the effectiveness of management controls over ALJ adherence to the Agency’s…

The rule governs SSA ban policy at the ODAR level and allows the HOCALJ at the request from ODAR employee to preclude the claimant or another individual who "poses threat" from having an in-person hearing. HOCALJ decision is not an "initial determination" and therefore not…

SSA Medical Expert handbook provides the basic information for medical providers who agree to participate in administrative law judge hearings.  The handbook explains Social Security’s disability programs, the appeals process, and ME's role and responsibilities.

SSA proposes to clarify that the Agency is responsible for scheduling ALJ hearings. The rule will take most of the ALJ discretion of when/how to conduct hearings. Claimants retain the right to object to time/place/manner of ALJ hearings, including the right to appear in person and not by VTC.…

This website previously provided representatives the software used by ODAR staff. However, the software was difficult to use especially without SSA systems support. SSA removed the software and instead provided FIT templates in MS Word. If accepted by the ALJ, ODAR staff will convert the darft…

SSA's description of the new rule: We are revising our rules to allow us to conduct hearings before administrative law judges (ALJs) at which a party or parties to the hearing and/or a witness or witnesses may appear before the ALJ by video teleconferencing (VTC). The revised rules provide that…