SYSTEM NAME:

Office of Administrative Law Judges Case Files.

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:

None.

SYSTEM LOCATION:

Unassigned case files are maintained by the Chief Administrative Law Judge or a District Chief Administrative Law Judge. Assigned case files are maintained by the Presiding Administrative Law Judge. Files may be located in the National Office, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Administrative Law Judges (OALJ), 800 K St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001, or in district offices.

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:

Claimants, complainants, respondents, and other party litigants in cases referred to the OALJ for hearing and decision.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:

Records may contain claim files; determinations and referral letters from the agency with initial claim development or investigatory responsibility; documents proffered as evidence; pleadings, motions, and other submissions by litigants; Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) orders, decisions, and orders; hearing transcripts; and other documents and information necessary to hear and decide cases.

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:

Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. 553, 554, 556, 557, 571 et seq.; Age Discrimination Act of 1975, 42 U.S.C. 6103; 29 CFR part 34; Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.; 29 CFR part 34; Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d‑1; 29 CFR part 31; Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7622; 29 CFR part 24; Comprehensive Employment and Training Act, 29 U.S.C. 801‑999 (Supp. V 1981); 20 CFR part 676 (1990); Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, 42 U.S.C. 9610; 29 CFR part 24; Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, 15 U.S.C. 2087; 29 CFR part 1983; Contract Disputes Act, 41 U.S.C. 601 et seq.; 41 CFR part 29 ‑ 60; 48 CFR 2933.203.70; Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act, 40 U.S.C. 327 et seq.; 29 CFR part 6; Copeland Act, 40 U.S.C. 276c; 29 CFR part 6; Corporate and Criminal Fraud Accountability Act, Title VIII of the Sarbanes Oxley Act, 18 U.S.C. 1514A; 29 CFR part 1980; Davis‑Bacon Act, as amended, 40 U.S.C. 276a‑276a‑7; 29 CFR part 6; Debt Collection Act of 1982, 31 U.S.C. 3711(f); 29 CFR part 20; Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, 12 U.S.C. 5567; 29 C.F.R. part 1985; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. 1682; 29 CFR part 34; Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988, 29 U.S.C. 2005; 29 CFR part 801, subpart E; Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, 29 U.S.C. 1132 and 1135; 29 CFR parts 2560 and 2570; Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 5851; 29 CFR part 24; Equal Access to Justice Act, 5 U.S.C. 504; 29 CFR part 16; E.O. No. 11,246, as amended, 3 CFR 339 (1964‑1965 Comp.) reprinted in 42 U.S.C. 2000e app.; 41 CFR parts 60‑1 and 60‑30; Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, 29 U.S.C. 211(d); 29 CFR part 530, subpart E; Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, 29 U.S.C. 214(c); 29 CFR part 525; Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, 29 U.S.C. 216(e); 29 CFR part 580; Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, 29 U.S.C. 218(C), as added by Affordable Care Act of 2010, P.L. 111-148, 1558; Title IV of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, as amended, 33 U.S.C. 901 et seq.; 20 CFR parts 410, 718, 725 and 727; Federal Railroad Safety Act, 49 U.S.C. 20109; 29 CFR part 1982; Federal Unemployment Tax Act, 26 U.S.C. 3303(b)(3), 3304(c); Federal Unemployment Tax Act (addressing agreements under the Trade Act of 1974, as amended), 26 U.S.C. 3302(c)(3); 20 CFR part 617; Federal Water Pollution Control Act, 33 U.S.C. 1367; 29 CFR part 24; FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, 21 U.S.C. 399d; 29 C.F.R. part 1987; Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(H), 1184 and 1186; 29 CFR part 501, subpart C; Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(H), 1182, 1184, 1188, 1288(c); 20 CFR part 655; Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, 8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(5)(A); 20 CFR part 656; Labor‑Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959, 5 U.S.C. 7120; 29 CFR part 458; Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act, 33 U.S.C. 901 et seq. (and its extensions - the Defense Base Act, Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, District of Columbia Workmen's Compensation Act, 36 D.C. Code 501 et seq, and Non-appropriated Fund Instrumentalities Act); 20 CFR parts 701, 702 and 704; McNamara‑O'Hara Service Contract Act, as amended, 41 U.S.C. 351 et seq.; 29 CFR part 6; Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, 29 U.S.C. 1813, 1853; 29 CFR part 500, subpart F; National Apprenticeship Act, 29 U.S.C. 50; 29 CFR parts 29 and 30; National Transit Systems Security Act of 2007, 6 U.S.C. 1142; 29 CFR part 1982; Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002, 49 U.S.C. 60129; 29 CFR part 1981; Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act of 1986, 31 U.S.C. 3803; 29 CFR part 22; Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 29 U.S.C. 793; 41 CFR part 60‑741, subpart B; 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 29 U.S.C. 794; 29 CFR part 32; Reorganization Plan No. 14 of 1950; and 29 CFR part 6; Rules of Practice and Procedure for Administrative Hearings Before the Office of Administrative Law Judges, 29 CFR part 18; Safe Drinking Water Act, 42 U.S.C. 300j‑9(i); 29 CFR part 24; Single Audit Act of 1984, 31 U.S.C. 7505; OMB Circular Nos. A‑128 and A‑110; 29 CFR part 96, subpart 96.6; Seaman's Protection Act, 46 U.S.C. 2114; 29 C.F.R. part 1986; Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 503; 20 CFR part 601; Solid Waste Disposal Act, 42 U.S.C. 6971; 29 CFR part 24; Surface Transportation Assistance Act, 49 U.S.C. 31105; 29 CFR part 1978; Toxic Substances Control Act, 15 U.S.C. 2622; 29 CFR part 24; Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act, as amended, 38 U.S.C. 4211, 4212; 41 CFR part 60‑250, subpart B; Wagner‑Peyser Act, as amended, 29 U.S.C. 49 et seq.; 20 CFR part 658; Walsh‑Healey Public Contracts Act, as amended, 41 U.S.C. 38; 41 CFR part 50‑203; Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century, 49 U.S.C. 42121; 29 CFR part 1979; Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, 29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.; Workforce Investment Act of 1998, 29 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.; 20 CFR parts 652, 660 through 670; 29 CFR Part 37; other statutes, executive orders and regulations providing for an ALJ hearing as they may become applicable in the future.

PURPOSE(S):

To maintain the court records for public administrative‑adjudicative hearings. These records and information in these records are used as the court record in ALJ hearings conducted pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552, 553, 554, 556, and 557 and/or a variety of particular statutes and executive orders. The purpose of the system is the adjudication of cases and determination of issues in hearings and appeals proceedings.

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES OF USERS AND THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:

 

In addition to the universal routine uses listed in the General Prefatory Statement to this document, the Department may disclose relevant and necessary data as follows:

Official case records, including final decisions and orders, may be disclosed to the Federal courts and boards that are charged with reviewing decisions on appeal. Information from the official record may be disclosed to the parties or their attorneys or their non-attorney representatives in matters pending before the OALJ. Information from case files may also be disclosed pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552.

ALJ decisions and orders and other selected orders are public agency records and are released to the public, for the purpose of creating a body of legal precedent which serves to guide the public regarding the statutes over which the OALJ exercises jurisdiction. Final decisions and orders and other selected orders are available on the agency's internet website at www.oalj.dol.gov and may be sent to commercial publishing companies for publication in paper form and over the internet. They are also available for public inspection at the OALJ's reading room.

DISCLOSURE TO CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCIES:

None.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORING, RETRIEVING, ACCESSING, RETAINING, AND DISPOSING OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:

 

STORAGE:

Files are stored electronically and/or on paper.

RETRIEVABILITY:

Retrieved by case number or name of party.

SAFEGUARDS:

Access by authorized personnel only. Computer security safeguards are used for electronically stored data and locked locations for paper files.

RETENTION AND DISPOSAL:

In cases where the OALJ is the official custodian, inactive case files are retained for three years before being sent to a Federal Records Center. The Federal Records Center retains the files for an additional 15 years before they are authorized for destruction, except for certain cases designated as precedent setting, which become permanent records. In cases where OALJ is not the official custodian, for example matters relating to Black Lung and Longshore (and extensions) cases, the official file is transferred to the appropriate federal custodial agency. When a case is appealed, the case file is forwarded to the appropriate administrative appellate agency, such as the Benefits Review Board, or the Administrative Review Board.

SYSTEM MANAGER(S) AND ADDRESS:

Director of Program Operations, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Administrative Law Judges, 800 K St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE:

Inquiries regarding the existence of records should be in the form of a written, signed request to the System Manager at the above address.

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:

Individuals wishing to request access to their records should send a written, signed request to the System Manager.

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:

Individuals wishing to petition for an amendment to their records should send a written, signed request to the System Manager.

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:

Records may include information submitted by the agency with initial claims development or investigatory responsibility, claimants, complainants, respondents, and other parties to the case, amicus curiae, ALJs involved in a case, the court reporter, and in the case of remanded cases, the administrative‑appellate body or Federal court.

SYSTEMS EXEMPTED FROM CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE ACT:

None.