Information About Social Security's Office of Hearings and Appeals

The Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) is responsible for holding hearings and issuing decisions as part of the Social Security Administration's process for determining whether or not a person may receive benefits.

OHA directs a nationwide field organization staffed with Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) who conduct impartial "de novo" hearings and make decisions on appealed determinations involving retirement, survivors, disability, and supplemental security income. Through the Appeals Council, OHA also reviews ALJ decisions on appeal by claimants or on its own motion and issues the final agency decision on such cases.

OHA is one of the largest administrative adjudicative systems in the world. Within OHA, more than 1,150 Administrative Law Judges enter over 500,000 decisions at the hearing level. At the last decisional level, the Appeals Council renders the Agency’s final decision. In the most recent fiscal year, the Appeals Council evaluated and decided more than 101,000 cases. At the last decisional level, the Appeals Council renders the Agency's final decision.

The Agency official responsible for the administration of this enormous adjudicative system is A. Jacy Thurmond, Jr., the Associate Commissioner for Hearings and Appeals. The Office of Hearings and Appeals is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia. There are two primary organizational components within OHA -- Office of the Chief Administrative Law Judge and the Office of Appellate Operations.

Hearing Operations: The Chief Administrative Law Judge is the principal consultant and advisor to the Associate Commissioner on all matters concerning the ALJ hearing process and all field operations. The Chief ALJ manages and administers the hearing organization consisting of ten regional offices, 140 hearing offices, including eight temporary sites, and three satellite offices.

Office of Appellate Operations: The Office of Appellate Operations consists of the Appeals Council and all its support staff. The Executive Director of the Office of Appellate Operations also serves as the Deputy Chair of the Appeals Council and is a key advisor to the Associate Commissioner on program operations matters, adjudicative trends at both the administrative appeals and court levels and related OHA functions.

There are additional organizational units that support OHA's mission. Those components are grouped under two broad headings -- Program Management and Administrative Management.

Program Management: Program management encompasses the development of operational policy and procedures for all OHA activities. The Office of Policy, Planning and Evaluation (OPPE) analyzes and develops operational policies and procedures to process cases throughout OHA, and also develops policy for claimant representation. OPPE manages the communicating of policy through the Hearings, Appeals and Litigation Law Manual (HALLEX).

The Special Counsel staff investigates allegations of misconduct by representatives of claimants filing for Social Security benefits. This staff also investigates allegations of bias or misconduct by administrative law judges regarding their conduct during the hearing process.

Administrative Management: Administrative management functions include organizing, planning, budgeting, and managing human and material resources. The Office of Management provides administrative support to the Associate Commissioner for all management related activities for OHA, and provides administrative support services to enable OHA to carry out its nationwide program.