The National Appeals Division is an independent office that reports directly to the Secretary of Agriculture and is independent of other parts of USDA.

Any person who receives an adverse program decision from USDA's Farm Service Agency, Risk Management Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or the three USDA Rural Development agencies may file an appeal with NAD.

NAD employs a two-stage appeal process. A participant has a right to a hearing in his state of residence before a NAD hearing officer. Thereafter, either the appellant or the agency my ask the NAD Director to reverse the hearing officer's determination.

July 2008 – The Southern Region Office is pleased to announce the selection of Mr. J. Keith Essmyer for its Orlando, Florida location, Mr. Thomas P. Brown for its Memphis, Tennessee location and Mr. Richard B. Cato for its Gainesville, Florida location.

June 2008 – On June 4, 2008, Secretary Edward T. Schafer reappointed Roger Klurfeld to a second six-year term as Director of the National Appeals Division, effective June 16, 2008.  In his reappointment letter, Secretary Schafer said, “The Director's position is an extremely important one, and I am convinced that the Division's record of independent and effective adjudication will continue under your direction.”

In reporting his reappointment to NAD employees, Mr. Klurfeld noted that the reputation recognized by the Secretary had been achieved through the efforts of all NAD employees.

November 2007 – The National Appeals Division has revised the NAD Guide. The guide sets forth NAD's policies and procedures for activities from appealability reviews through hearings and reconsiderations to Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) reviews. It outlines policies and procedures for employee conduct, managing the hearing process, preparing determinations, and ensuring the quality and consistency of correspondence and determinations. It is available to the public by clicking here.

In addition to the newly revised NAD Guide, NAD has revised its form letters and collected them into a Correspondence Manual. The manual is now available to the public by clicking here.

As a reminder, the NAD Style Guide remains available to the public by clicking here.

Last Modified: 07/24/2008