The Office of Hearings and Appeals is the quasi-judicial arm of the Department of Energy that conducts hearings and issues initial Departmental decisions with respect to a wide range of legal issues and programs delegated to the Office by the Secretary of Energy.

The Office is primarily responsible for conducting hearings and issuing decisions involving personnel security clearance cases, and contractor employee whistleblower cases.  The Office has jurisdiction for deciding Freedom of Information and Privacy Act appeals, as well as other appeals involving administrative determinations reached by Department officials under the jurisdiction of the Secretary.

HG also provides an adjudicatory forum in matters involving contested issues of fact or law.  In addition, HG is responsible for deciding Applications for Exception from generally applicable requirements of a rule, regulation or order of the Department of Energy, and for hearing Petitions for Special Redress seeking "extraordinary relief" -- apart from or in addition to -- any other remedy provided in the Department’s enabling statutes.