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 Page 1 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 Page 2 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. Page 3 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 Page 4 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 - Page 5 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 Page 6 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 Page 7 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 Page 8