Office of State Administrative Hearings annual report 2016

OFFICE OF STATE ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS
ANNUAL REPORT 2016
225 Peachtree Street, NE, Suite 400, Atlanta, Georgia 30303 www.osah.ga.gov

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
A Letter from the Chief _________________________________________________________________________________ 1 Meet OSAH's Judges____________________________________________________________________________________ 2 Meet OSAH's Staff Attorneys __________________________________________________________________________ 3 Judges and Staff _________________________________________________________________________________________ 4 Nationwide Comparison _______________________________________________________________________________ 5 Number of Cases Filed__________________________________________________________________________________ 7 Court Locations__________________________________________________________________________________________ 8 Sample of Litigants______________________________________________________________________________________ 9

ANNUAL REPORT 2016
A Letter from the Chief Judge
OSAH finished FY2016 having received 50,363 cases. Each judge was responsible for managing an average caseload in excess of 5,000 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 40 employees; however, our hardworking judges, our committed staff members, and our reliance on technological advancements and stakeholder partnerships allowed us to finish FY2016 very 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 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 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 Georgia. We look forward to continuing to improve our services in FY2017. Regards, Michael Malihi, Chief Judge
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ANNUAL REPORT 2016
Meet the Judges

Chief Judge Michael Malihi, OSAH

Chief Judge Lawrence O'Neal, Ga. Tax Tribunal

Judge Barbara Brown

Judge David Langston

Judge Steven Teate

Judge Patrick Woodard

Judge Carol Walker-Russell

Judge Ana Kennedy

Judge Ronit Walker

Judge Kristin Miller

Judge Stephanie Howells

Judge Kimberly Schroer

Judge Amanda Baxter

Judge Charles Beaudrot

Judge Robert Marcovitch

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ANNUAL REPORT 2016
Meet OSAH's Staff Attorneys

Laurin McDonald, Esq. Jennifer Williams, Esq.

Dominic Capraro, Esq. Lisa Boggs, Esq.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2016

Judges and Staff

Michael Malihi, Chief Judge
Judicial Staff Judge Amanda Baxter Judge Charles Beaudrot Judge Barbara Brown Judge Stephanie Howells Judge Ana Kennedy Judge David Langston Judge Robert Marcovitch Judge Kristin Miller Judge Lawrence O'Neal Judge Kimberly Schroer Judge Steven Teate Judge Ronit Walker Judge Carol Walker-Russell Judge Patrick Woodard
Staff Attorneys Lisa Boggs Dominic Capraro Laurin McDonald Jennifer Williams

Administrative Staff Melvina Cummings Dan Dollar Evelyn Gertsch Kacie Griffin Victoria Hightower Charmaine Hooke-Powell Hazel Jackson Jenna Judy Gireesh Kambala Monica Kelly Christine Livingston Gloria McDonald Grant Mintz Willie Muigai Christa Orbann Larry Parker Jason Rouse Kasey Salter Delores Waters Kevin Westray Jason Hendrix, Trooper

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5,608

ANNUAL REPORT 2016
Nationwide Comparison
HIGHEST ADJUDICATION RATE IN THE UNITED STATES
Georgia judges adjudicated the highest number of cases per judge in the United States.
NUMBER OF CASES ADJUDICATED PER JUDGE IN THE U.S.
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
GA SC TX OR MI LA MD NJ WA TN AK IA KS AZ WI FL CO CA ND WY MA NC MN
Source: 2015 Comparison of States with Centralized Administrative Courts prepared by Louisiana
LOWEST COST PER CASE IN THE NATION
At $91.00 per case, Georgia has the lowest cost per case in the nation. This is due, in part, to OSAH's significant cost-saving measures, including its reliance on partnerships with 49 local courthouses that generously provide courtroom space to OSAH's judges at no additional cost to taxpayers. Page 5

1,404

24 25 25 65 67 78 156 185 211 237 245 254 254 282 340 370 381 423 466 496 512

12,626 13,109

ANNUAL REPORT 2016

14,000

COST PER CASE
Source: Louisiana, 2015 Comparison of States with Centralized Administrative Courts

12,000

10,000

8,000

6,000

4,000

2,000

-

91 284 482 507 529
596 710 730 733 767 787 791 901
1,098 1,142 1,393
2,148 3,801 4,898 5,154 5,690

Georgia TX SC OR NJ LA MI IA WA TN MD KS WI AK AZ CO FL WY MA ND CA NC MN

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ANNUAL REPORT 2016
Number of Cases Filed
FISCAL YEAR 2016: 50,363 CASES FILED IN 159 COUNTIES
OSAH has worked to exceed expectations and become one of the preeminent Administrative Courts in the nation in terms of quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. In 1995, OSAH adjudicated 19,000 cases with 67 judges and a staff of over 60 people. In FY2016, OSAH adjudicated over 50,000 cases with the help of only 15 judges and a staff of 25 people.
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ANNUAL REPORT 2016

Court Locations

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

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 Hazlehurst

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 2016
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 Appraisers Board Georgia Real Estate Commission Office of the Secretary of State Office of the Inspector General
Peace Officer Standards and Training Council Professional Licensing Boards
Professional Standards Commission Public Retirement System
Technical College System of Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority State Personnel Board
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