Admin Hearing Process

Checking in at reception:

You will receive a letter from the State that tells you your hearing date and time. You must appear for your hearing on the date and time stated on your letter.

Hearings are held at 1450 Court Street, First Floor, Ste. 108, Redding, CA 96001. We have detailed driving directions from several different locations, or you may call the Hearings Assistant at (530)245-6462.

When you arrive, please check in with the receptionist at the front desk. She will put your name on the check-in list and note the time you checked in. She will give you your statement of position, if you haven't already picked it up, and she will bring you to the waiting area.

Please try to make child-care arrangements on the day of your hearing. The County does not provide child care while you are in your hearing, and children cannot be left alone in the waiting area.

If you cannot attend at the scheduled time, you may want to postpone your hearing. To do this, make a toll-free call to 1-800-743-8525 (Voice/TDD) or send a letter to:

State Hearings Division
744 P Street, MS 19-37
Sacramento, CA 95814

The State or the Administrative Law Judge are the only ones who can postpone your hearing. County staff cannot grant or request a postponement for you. You must call the State or speak to the Administrative Law Judge on the day of your hearing.

You can also call your assigned hearings officer and see if a special arrangement can be made for a different time slot only.

Sometimes, the County finds it necessary to change the hearing date after the State schedules your hearing. If this happens, the hearings officer will call and discuss this with you or send you a letter.

All hearings are held on a first-come, first-served basis. All hearings are scheduled for two time slots: 8:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Since all hearings set for that day are held in only two time slots, you will probably share your time slot with several different claimants. Whoever checks in first will have their hearing first, with no exceptions.

If you checked in after several people have already checked in and you have to leave before your claim is heard, you must wait and ask the Administrative Law Judge at the hearing for a postponement or you can call the State for a postponement when you get home.

Remember, if you choose to leave without talking to the Administrative Law Judge on your hearing day, there is no guarantee that you will be granted a postponement if you call the State. If you know you need a postponement, it is best to request one before the hearing.

At the hearing:

When it is time for your hearing to start, your hearing officer will bring you into the room where the hearing will be held.

Your hearing issues are heard by an Administrative Law Judge, who is employed by the State of California Department of Social Services in Sacramento, and will render an impartial decision.

The judge will ask the County to present its case first, because the County has the burden of proving why it took the action. Then you will be asked to present your case and why you disagree. The judge can ask questions of both parties and question any witnesses.

The judge will go back to Sacramento and make his or her decision. The decision will be sent to both parties at the same time.

After the hearing:

You will receive your hearing decision 90 days from the date you filed your hearing request. Generally, hearing decisions are sent approximately 30-45 days after your hearing. If you think your hearing decision is late, you can call your assigned hearing officer and we can check on the status of your hearing decision.

If your claim is granted in part or in full, that means that the judge made his or her decision, or part of that decision, in your favor. The County has 30 days to comply with the judge’s order. The County will notify you when it has complied with the judge’s order.

If your claim is denied, that means the judge made his or her decision in the County's favor.

Rehearings:

If either party disagrees with any part of the decision, either party may ask for a rehearing within 30 days. The front of the hearing decision will give you detailed information about how to ask for a rehearing.