Appeals General Information

State Hearing/Appeal

A State hearing or Appeal is a method whereby a dissatisfied client, applicant or Authorized Representative may obtain an impartial review of a County action or inaction. This process is mandated by federal law and is administered by the State Department of Social Services.

The right to an Appeal belongs to the client, not to the county.

Note: Eligibility staff should not suggest clients to file for Appeal as an alternative to explaining County action or inaction. Eligibility staff have the responsibility to clearly explain County actions at the client’s request. If after a thorough explanation the client does not agree with the action or inaction taken by the County it is the client’s right to file for an Appeal.

Roles of the Appeals Officer

Under the state regulation, every state hearing request must be assigned to an Appeals Officer (AO) who assumes the responsibility of preparing and presenting the hearing case on behalf of the county. The AO is an impartial party reviewing the issues disputed by the claimant and must not have had immediate prior involvement with the issue being appealed.

Appeal Requests

All Appeals requests must be accepted and allowed to move forward in the Appeal process. For Appeal requests involving improper claimants or if there is no jurisdiction it is the duty of the Administrative Law Judge to determine of the case is heard.

Related Topics

Terms Unique to the Appeal Process