Edit Organization: Office of Hearings and Appeals (Department of Energy)

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'''Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA)''' is the quasi-judicial arm of the Department of Energy (DOE), responsible for conducting hearings and issuing initial decisions on a wide range of legal and administrative matters, including personnel security clearances, whistleblower cases, and Freedom of Information Act appeals. {{Official URL (simple)|url=https://www.energy.gov/oha/office-hearings-and-appeals}} ==Mission== The Office of Hearings and Appeals strives to deliver impartial and timely adjudicative services for DOE by resolving disputes through hearings, issuing decisions on matters like security clearances and whistleblower protections, and handling appeals under FOIA and Privacy Act regulations. It also promotes alternative dispute resolution to efficiently address conflicts, ensuring fairness and supporting DOE’s operational integrity.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.energy.gov/oha/about-office-hearings-and-appeals |title=About OHA |publisher=Department of Energy |access-date=February 22, 2025}}</ref> ==Parent organization== The Office of Hearings and Appeals operates directly under the [[Department of Energy]], functioning as an independent entity within DOE to provide unbiased adjudication and dispute resolution services.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.energy.gov/oha/about-office-hearings-and-appeals |title=About OHA |publisher=Department of Energy |access-date=February 22, 2025}}</ref> ==Legislation== The Office of Hearings and Appeals was not created by specific legislation but evolved from DOE’s organizational structure, with its functions formalized under the [https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-91/pdf/STATUTE-91-Pg565.pdf Department of Energy Organization Act of 1977], which established DOE and its adjudicative needs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.energy.gov/oha/about-office-hearings-and-appeals |title=About OHA |publisher=Department of Energy |access-date=February 22, 2025}}</ref> ==Partners== * DOE program offices for case referrals * National Nuclear Security Administration for FOIA appeals<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.energy.gov/oha/services |title=OHA Services |publisher=Department of Energy |access-date=February 22, 2025}}</ref> * External legal entities for dispute resolution support ==Number of employees== The exact number of employees in OHA is not publicly specified, though it includes over 15 attorneys and staff within DOE’s broader workforce.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.energy.gov/oha/about-office-hearings-and-appeals |title=About OHA |publisher=Department of Energy |access-date=February 22, 2025}}</ref> ==Organization structure== OHA is structured to handle DOE’s diverse adjudicative responsibilities: ===Leader=== The Office of Hearings and Appeals is headed by a Director.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.energy.gov/oha/about-office-hearings-and-appeals |title=About OHA |publisher=Department of Energy |access-date=February 22, 2025}}</ref> ===Divisions=== The divisions include: * Personnel Security Hearings Division for clearance adjudications.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.energy.gov/oha/services |title=OHA Services |publisher=Department of Energy |access-date=February 22, 2025}}</ref> * Whistleblower Hearings Division for contractor employee cases. * FOIA and Privacy Act Appeals Division for information appeals. ==List of programs== * Personnel Security Hearings<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.energy.gov/oha/personnel-security-hearings |title=Personnel Security Hearings |publisher=Department of Energy |access-date=February 22, 2025}}</ref> * Whistleblower Hearings and Appeals<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.energy.gov/oha/whistleblower-hearings-and-appeals |title=Whistleblower Hearings |publisher=Department of Energy |access-date=February 22, 2025}}</ref> * FOIA and Privacy Act Appeals<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.energy.gov/oha/foia-privacy-act-appeal-information |title=FOIA & Privacy Act Appeals |publisher=Department of Energy |access-date=February 22, 2025}}</ref> ==Last total enacted budget== The last enacted budget for OHA was $6.6 million for FY 2024, as part of DOE’s funding allocations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-03/doe-fy-2024-budget-volume-1-v4.pdf |title=FY 2024 Budget |publisher=Department of Energy |access-date=February 22, 2025}}</ref> ==Staff== OHA employs over 15 dedicated attorneys and support staff specializing in adjudication, dispute resolution, and legal analysis, though exact numbers are not isolated from DOE’s total workforce.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.energy.gov/oha/about-office-hearings-and-appeals |title=About OHA |publisher=Department of Energy |access-date=February 22, 2025}}</ref> ==Funding== OHA’s funding, including its FY 2024 budget of $6.6 million, comes from DOE’s annual Congressional appropriations, supporting its operations since its integration into DOE’s structure in 1977.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-03/doe-fy-2024-budget-volume-1-v4.pdf |title=FY 2024 Budget |publisher=Department of Energy |access-date=February 22, 2025}}</ref> ==Services provided== The Office of Hearings and Appeals conducts hearings for personnel security clearances and whistleblower cases, processes FOIA and Privacy Act appeals, decides applications for regulatory exceptions, and supports alternative dispute resolution to resolve DOE-related conflicts efficiently.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.energy.gov/oha/services |title=OHA Services |publisher=Department of Energy |access-date=February 22, 2025}}</ref> ==Regulations overseen== OHA oversees key federal regulations including 10 CFR Part 710 (Personnel Security), 10 CFR Part 708 (Contractor Employee Protections), 10 CFR Part 1004 (FOIA), and 10 CFR Part 205 (Administrative Procedures), ensuring compliance across DOE adjudicative processes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.energy.gov/oha/services |title=OHA Services |publisher=Department of Energy |access-date=February 22, 2025}}</ref> ==Headquarters address== 1000 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20585 ==History== The Office of Hearings and Appeals evolved within DOE following the Department of Energy Organization Act of 1977, which established DOE and necessitated a quasi-judicial entity to handle adjudicative functions, formalizing its role over time to address growing legal and administrative demands.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.energy.gov/oha/about-office-hearings-and-appeals |title=About OHA |publisher=Department of Energy |access-date=February 22, 2025}}</ref> ==External links== * [https://www.energy.gov/oha/office-hearings-and-appeals Official Website] * [[wikipedia:United States Department of Energy]] * [https://www.energy.gov/oha/about-office-hearings-and-appeals OHA Overview] ==References== <references />