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BAM 600 40 of 50 HEARINGS BPB 2026-014 5-1-2026

BRIDGES ADMINISTRATIVE MANUAL STATE OF MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

• Be more lenient than a circuit court judge in deciding what evidence may be presented. • Refuse to accept evidence that the ALJ believes is: Unduly repetitious. Immaterial. Irrelevant. Incompetent. Note: The ALJ may not act as an advocate for either party. Either party may: • State on the record its disagreement with the ALJ's decision to exclude evidence and the reason for the disagreement. • Object to evidence the party believes should not be part of the hearing record. When refusing to admit evidence, the ALJ must state on the record the nature of the evidence and why it was not admitted. The ALJ may allow written documents to be admitted in place of oral testi- mony if the ALJ decides this is fair to both sides in the case being heard. SDA and Medicaid Only When requested evidence is received, the ALJ will review the evidence for completeness and responsiveness and determine whether the evidence is material and relevant. The client is responsible for providing evidence to support his or her claim. If the client does not provide medical or other evidence the ALJ needs and requests, the ALJ will generally make a decision based on the evidence in record, including evidence the ALJ has obtained directly. To document that the ALJ has made an attempt to fully and fairly develop the record, the ALJ will document all attempts to obtain the evidence as an exhibit(s) in the record. HEARING DECISIONS All Programs The ALJ determines the facts based only on evidence introduced at the hearing, draws a conclusion of law, and determines whether