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Office of Administrative Hearings says FY26 budget leaves agency "beyond capacity," raising backlog and access-to-justice concerns
Summary
At a June 6 Committee on Public Works and Operations hearing, Office of Administrative Hearings leaders and legal advocates warned that the mayor's FY26 budget would not provide needed staff or technology funding, risking further delays in resolving enforcement and public-benefits cases.
WASHINGTON — At a June 6 budget oversight hearing of the Committee on Public Works and Operations, the Office of Administrative Hearings told the council its proposed fiscal year 2026 budget would leave the agency unable to keep pace with rising caseloads, creating delays that affect both the District’s ability to collect fines and residents’ access to public benefits.
"To put it bluntly, we are simply beyond capacity," M. Colleen Curry, Chief Administrative Law Judge for the Office of Administrative Hearings, told Chair Brianne Nadeau. The agency reported a proposed gross FY26 budget of approximately $12,225,000 and 92 full-time equivalents, with personnel services accounting for roughly 93% of that total.
The budget reduces or eliminates one-time funds the committee provided in FY25, including about $187,000 for contractual temporary staffing and $250,000 for information-technology upgrades. Judge Curry and witnesses from civil legal-service organizations said losing that one-time support will worsen OAH’s ability to process cases quickly.
Why this matters: OAH adjudicates cases across more than 40 District…
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