Board of Appeals
The Board of Appeals (BOA) reviews administrative hearing decisions issued by Administrative Law Judges at the Office of Administrative Hearings. BOA Review Judges are attorneys who review hearing decisions for legal and factual errors, change the decisions as necessary, and then issue final decisions on behalf of the Secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services. All BOA Review Judges are members of the Washington State Bar Association.
Review is performed for cases from many Department programs and is conducted at the request of either the Department or the party who originally requested the hearing. Due to staffing cuts in 2002, Review Judges no longer provide review of some types of cases, including public assistance and child support cases. See WAC 388-02-0215 for a complete list of programs currently reviewed. In addition to the programs listed in WAC 388-02-0215, BOA Review Judges also hear and decide the Department's nursing home reimbursement rate and audit appeals. See WAC 388-96. BOA Review Judges also provide information and training on the Department's hearing practices.
BOA is one of the Department's liaisons to the Office of Administrative Hearings and formulates Department-wide rules and policies on hearings. BOA maintains the Department's official record for each adjudication, ensures that legal notices are prepared and processed to meet legal requirements for cases being reviewed, receives petitions for judicial review, and files hearing records with superior court.
