Office of State Administrative Hearings annual report 2014

OFFICE OF STATE ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
230 Peachtree Street, NW, Suite 850, Atlanta, Georgia 30303 www.osah.ga.gov

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
A Letter from the Deputy Chief _______________________________________________________________________ 1 Judges and Staff _________________________________________________________________________________________ 2 Number of Cases Filed__________________________________________________________________________________ 4 Nationwide Comparison _______________________________________________________________________________ 5 Nationwide Comparison _______________________________________________________________________________ 6 Counties Served _________________________________________________________________________________________ 7 Sample of Litigants______________________________________________________________________________________ 8

ANNUAL REPORT 2014
A Letter from the Deputy Chief
OSAH finished FY2014 having received 60,000 cases, the largest increase ever in our continually burgeoning caseload. Each judge was responsible for managing an average caseload in excess of 4,000 cases. Although we have the highest caseload per judge in the nation, OSAH has used its human capital and innovative methods to achieve the lowest cost per case. OSAH has only 30 employees; however our hardworking judges, our committed staff members, and our reliance on technological advancements and stakeholder partnerships allowed us to finish the year strong.
OSAH's goal is to continue improving its performance to serve Georgia and its citizens ever more efficiently. We frequently measure our performance and strive to raise the bar with each passing year. OSAH delivers excellent-quality work quickly and efficiently, treats all hearing participants with courtesy, and is accessible to the citizens of Georgia's 159 counties. Consequently, our stakeholder satisfaction remains high. As we welcome new ideas and value change, we have been working diligently in the past year to lay the groundwork for innovations that will be implemented in the coming year.
We expect great things for FY2015. In the fall, we are moving our offices and expanding our courtrooms. Several exciting changes include enhanced security and a "Fast Lane" security checkpoint to improve ease of access for the legal community, law enforcement, and our frequent visitors. A new, high-tech case management system, which is in the late stages of development, will ultimately allow easier access to case files online, increasing convenience and lowering costs for all users. OSAH's updated, easy-to-use website will be introduced in the next few months, and will be compatible with smartphone and other handheld devices.
We could not have accomplished so much without the partnership of our stakeholders: the Office of the Governor, the Office of the Lt. Governor, the Office of the Speaker of the House, the members of the General Assembly, the Attorney General's Office, the membership of the State Bar of Georgia, state agencies, the judiciary, law enforcement, and especially the citizens of the State of Georgia. We look forward to continuing to improve our services to our stakeholders in FY2015.
Regards,
Michael Malihi, Deputy Chief Judge
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ANNUAL REPORT 2014

Judges and Staff
Max Wood Chief Judge
Michael Malihi Deputy Chief Judge

Judicial Staff Judge Amanda Baxter Judge Barbara Brown Judge Stephanie Howells Judge Ana Kennedy Judge David Langston Judge Kristin Miller Judge Lois Oakley Judge Kimberly Schroer Judge Steven Teate Judge Ronit Walker Judge Carol Walker-Russell Judge Patrick Woodard Dominic Capraro, Staff Attorney Shoshana Elon, Staff Attorney Laurin McDonald, Staff Attorney

Administrative Staff Melvina Bolston Thierno Dieng Dan Dollar Kacie Griffin Victoria Hightower Charmaine Hooke-Powell Monica Kelly Hazel Jackson Jenna Judy Gloria McDonald Larry Parker John Rasheed Jason Rouse Valerie Ruff Delores Waters Kevin Westray Mark Camp, Trooper

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ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Pictured from left to right: Dominic Capraro, Laurin McDonald, Shoshana Elon, Judge Stephanie Howells, Judge Ana Kennedy, Judge Kimberly Schroer, Judge Ronit Walker, Judge Steven Teate, Judge Barbara Brown, Deputy Chief Judge Michael Malihi, Judge Kristin Miller, Judge Lois Oakley, Judge Amanda Baxter, Judge Carol WalkerRussell, Judge David Langston, Judge Patrick Woodard, and Georgia Tax Tribunal Chief Judge Charles Beaudrot.
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ANNUAL REPORT 2014

Number of Cases Filed
5-YEAR CASE REFERRALS

70,000

60,000

50,000

40,000 30,000

35,129

35,920

20,000

10,000

FY10

FY11

40,109 FY12

45,911 FY13

59,712 FY14

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4,125

ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Nationwide Comparison
HIGHEST ADJUDICATION RATE
Georgia judges adjudicated the highest number of cases per judge in the United States. 4,500 4,000 3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 -
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1,376

30 35 36 44 47 72 153 157 239 251 363 379 396 410 483 509 528 559 703

10,610

7,620 7,445

5,018 4,137 3,020 2,480 1,626 874 852 666 655 557 505 498 452 415 340 297 238 86

ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Nationwide Comparison
LOWEST COST PER CASE
At $86.00 per case, Georgia has the lowest cost per case in the nation. 12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0
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ANNUAL REPORT 2014

Counties Served

In addition to Atlanta, every month OSAH Judges adjudicate cases throughout the State of Georgia in 49 locations at no additional cost to the taxpayers:
Headquarters Atlanta, Georgia

Albany Athens Atlanta Augusta Bainbridge Blackshear Braselton Brunswick Canton Carrollton Cartersville Conyers Cordele Cumming Dallas Dalton Dawsonville Decatur Douglasville Dublin East Point Ellijay Fayetteville Garden City Greensboro Griffin Grovetown Hamilton Hazelhurst

Jonesboro Lafayette LaGrange Lawrenceville Macon Marietta McDonough Milledgeville Monroe Newnan Richmond Hill Rome Roswell Savannah Statesboro Thomasville Tifton Toccoa Valdosta Warner Robins

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ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Sample of Litigants
Citizens of the State of Georgia Office of the Governor Board of Regents
Care Management Organizations Department of Banking and Finance Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities Department of Community Health
Department of Driver Services Department of Education
Department of Human Services Department of Labor
Department of Natural Resources Department of Public Safety Department of Revenue Department of Transportation
Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity Georgia Composite Medical Board
Georgia Government Transparency & Campaign Finance Commission Georgia Real Estate Appraiser's Board Georgia Real Estate Commission Office of the Secretary of State Office of the Inspector General
Peace Officers Standards and Training Council Professional Licensing Boards
Professional Standards Commission Public Retirement System
The Technical College System of Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority State Personnel Board
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