§3246 Administrative Adjudication

Summary

If someone applying for financial help is unhappy because the Secretary denied all or part of the aid, they can ask for a hearing before a Department of Labor administrative law judge. The same hearing can be requested by a recipient who was told to take corrective action or was hit with a sanction under section 3244. The judge’s decision becomes the Secretary’s final decision unless a dissatisfied person sends a written objection to the Secretary within 20 days saying exactly what rule, fact, law, or policy they disagree with. Issues not raised in those 20 days can’t be raised later. After the objection is filed, the Secretary has 30 days to say the case will be reviewed. If the Secretary accepts it, they must decide within 180 days, or the judge’s decision becomes final at the end of that time. The rules in section 3247 also apply to any final decision.