Acronyms and definitions

An administrative law judge (ALJ) is an impartial decision-maker who is an attorney and presides at an administrative hearing. ALJs are employed by the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH), which is a separate state agency, as defined in RCW 34.05.010. ALJs are not Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) or Health Care Authority (HCA) employees or representatives.

An appellant is a person or entity who requests a hearing about an action of HCA or its designee.

The hearing record is the official documentation of the hearing process. The record includes recordings or transcripts, admitted exhibits, decisions, briefs, notices, orders, and other filed documents.

Find out what the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) does in the appeals process.