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About Us

What We Do

The Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) renders justice through fair, timely, and impartial administrative hearings and high-quality dispute resolution services.

OAH is the largest of three Minnesota Executive Branch courts, with over 60 employees located in St. Paul and Duluth serving the entire state of Minnesota.

Workers’ Compensation 

Workers’ Compensation Judges preside over settlement and trial-level proceedings regarding disputed claims for workers’ compensation benefits. 

Each year, 10,000 new workers' compensation cases are filed at OAH, involving 7,500 workers and their employers, insurers, and medical providers.

Administrative Law 

Administrative Law Judges preside over cases involving challenges to state and local government action, including:

  • Utility rates and routes;
  • Professional licenses, from medical practice to child care and foster care;
  • Veterans preference;
  • Occupational safety and health;
  • Nursing home regulatory compliance;
  • Environmental permits;
  • Human rights;
  • Personnel disputes involving government employees;
  • Fair campaign practices complaints
  • Data Practices complaints; and
  • Municipal boundary adjustment matters.

Administrative Law Judges also review the need for and reasonableness of all rules proposed by state agencies, and provide mediation services across Minnesota, including for disputes not pending before OAH.

Since 1976, Administrative Law Judges have served over 250 state agencies and local units of government and heard cases involving over 200 unique areas of administrative law.

Budget and Funding

OAH's funding comes from three sources: 

  • Workers’ Compensation Special Compensation Fund (78% of total funding);
  • Administrative Law Enterprise Fund (15% of total funding); and
  • General Fund (7% of total funding).

General fund appropriations of $400,000 per biennium represent no more than 7% of total OAH funding and support limited work: municipal boundary adjustments; fair campaign practices complaints; and certain data practices matters.

The Special Compensation Fund supports the Workers' Compensation Division through a biennial appropriation of approximately $14.5 million. The General Fund does not provide any funding for workers' compensation work.

The Administrative Law Division operates as an Enterprise Fund. Administrative Law Judge services are billed on an hourly basis to the requesting state or local government agency. The hourly rate is approved annually by Minnesota Management and Budget. 

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