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Title 7 — AgricultureRelease 119-73not60

§6995 Informal Hearings

Title 7 › Chapter 98— DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE REORGANIZATION › Subchapter VIII— NATIONAL APPEALS DIVISION › § 6995

Last updated Apr 3, 2026|Official source

Summary

When an agency official gives a participant an unfavorable decision, the agency must hold an informal hearing if the participant asks. For Farm Service Agency programs (or units assigned under section 6932), the Secretary must keep the appeals process as it was on October 13, 1994. If a mediation program under Title V of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 (7 U.S.C. 5101 et seq.) is part of the informal process, the participant must be offered it and, as much as possible, allowed to use both mediation and informal review.

Full Legal Text

Title 7, §6995

Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)If an officer, employee, or committee of an agency makes an adverse decision, the agency shall hold, at the request of the participant, an informal hearing on the decision.
(b)With respect to programs carried out through the Farm Service Agency (or other office, agency, or administrative unit of the Department assigned to carry out the programs authorized for the Farm Service Agency under section 6932 of this title), the Secretary shall maintain the informal appeals process applicable to such programs, as in effect on October 13, 1994.
(c)If a mediation program is available under title V of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 (7 U.S.C. 5101 et seq.) as a part of the informal hearing process, the participant shall—
(1)be offered the right to choose such mediation; and
(2)to the maximum extent practicable, be allowed to use both informal agency review and mediation to resolve disputes under that title.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Agricultural Credit Act of 1987, referred to in subsec. (c), is Pub. L. 100–233, Jan. 6, 1988, 101 Stat. 1568. Title V of the Act is classified principally to chapter 82 (§ 5101 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

of 1988

Amendments

note set out under section 2001 of Title 12, Banks and Banking, and Tables. Codification Pub. L. 110–234 and Pub. L. 110–246 made identical

Amendments

to this section. The

Amendments

by Pub. L. 110–234 were repealed by section 4(a) of Pub. L. 110–246.

Amendments

2018—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 115–334 substituted “Farm” for “Consolidated Farm” in two places. 2008—Pub. L. 110–246, § 12032, designated the three sentences of existing provisions as subsecs. (a) to (c), respectively, inserted headings, and in subsec. (c) designated part of existing provisions as par. (1) and added par. (2).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2008 AmendmentAmendment of this section and repeal of Pub. L. 110–234 by Pub. L. 110–246 effective May 22, 2008, the date of enactment of Pub. L. 110–234, see section 4 of Pub. L. 110–246, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 8701 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

7 U.S.C. § 6995

Title 7 — Agriculture

Last Updated

Apr 3, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60