CASE PROCESSING CHARACTERISTICS

Please answer the following questions about each of three cases in which you were involved and in which your agency reached a decision in the past 12 months. The first case should be one which took an unusually short amount of time to decide. This case may have been decided by withdrawal or consent in a pre-hearing conference or it may have been decided at a hearing where your decision became final without further review. Regardless of how or when it was decided, please tell us, by answering the questions below, about that case which took the least amount of time to finally decide after it was assigned to you.

After reporting on this first case, please tell us about a case which took the usual or typical amount of time for your agency to decide. This case may be one you decided at hearing and no appeals were taken or it may be one where your decision was reviewed by the agency for final action. Regardless, it should be that case which in your experience has taken the typical amount of time to finally decide.

After reporting on this second case, please tell us about a case which took an unusually long amount of time to decide. This case probably, but not necessarily, involved agency review of your decision. Regardless, it should be a case decided in the last 12 months which required a long time to decide.

In answering a few of the questions, you may need to refresh your memory by consulting your records or agency files. We encourage you to do that to provide the most complete information possible.

If so,

14. The previous question was designed to help us understand the reasons why some cases take longer to process than others. Looking back over the information we requested for each case, are there any other case characteristics not listed which you believe would explain variances in processing times? what were they? N-446 See Attachment IV

15.

Do you believe there is unnecessary delay in the administrative adjudication process? N-692 33.5% [1] No (Go to question 17.)

66.5% [2] Yes (Continue.)

V

16. Please rank the following factors as you believe they contribute to delay in the administrative adjudication process. (Place 1 next to the factor which you believe contributes the most to delay, 2 next to the factor which contributes the next most to delay, and so on.) See Attachment (16-1) [ ] Too many complex and technical cases involving numerous participants.

(16-2) [ ] Agency review of ALJ decisions.

(16-3) [ ] Agency failure to set priorities thereby wasting resources on less urgent issues.

(16-4) [] Intentional delay by parties or protesters to a case.

(16-5) [ ] Lack of penalties for parties or protestors who do delay.

(16-6) [ ] Formal nature of oral hearings and the pre- and post-hearing routine.

(16-7) [ ] Lack of deadlines, standards, and/or schedules for case processing.

28.

27. How would you assess the importance of staff attorney experience to an ALJ? N-718

15.5% [5] Very important

46.5% [4] Somewhat important

24.8% [3] Neither important nor unimportant

6.0% [2] Somewhat unimportant

7.2% [1] Very unimportant

If you had complete authority to change current application requirements or selection practices, would you make any changes? If so, please describe them.