Office of Hearings and Appeals Updates Procedural Regulations

The Office of Hearings and Appeals has amended its procedural regulations to modernize OHA processes and provide transparency to parties and the public.  The Direct Final Rule was published at 88 Federal Register 19 on January 30, 2023, and took effect on March 16, 2023.

The rule provides parties to a hearing or appeal the option of sending and receiving documents electronically and recognizes the OHA Director’s authority to issue Standing Orders to provide electronic filing and other procedural information to parties and the public.  The rule also removes specific office addresses, some outdated, from regulatory text and provides for up-to-date contact information to be provided in Standing Orders.  Standing Orders may also be issued to provide information in an emergency or to address an immediate need such as an office closure, natural disaster, or other unanticipated event.   OHA looks forward to using Standing Orders to communicate important information about OHA operations quickly, efficiently, and transparently. 

Pursuant to the rule, the OHA Director issued two Standing Orders on March 16, 2023:  

OHA Standing Order on Electronic Transmission
OHA Standing Order on Addresses and Contact Information

These and all future Standing Orders will be published prominently on the OHA website immediately upon issuance by the OHA Director.

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