DMS Search is a database search using fields from the Office of Administrative Law Judges' Document Management System (DMS).
DMS search enables searches based on the OALJ Case Number, the name of the Employer or Respondent, the name of the Claimant or Complainant, or the date of the ALJ's decision.
DMS only covers ALJ decisions and is not a full-text search.
OALJ Case Number Field:
The OALJ case number has three components: (1) the Fiscal Year in which the case was docketed, (2) a three letter acronym that indicates the type of case, and (3) the sequential number of the filing. For example, 2005-BLA-00011 would be the eleventh black lung case filed in Fiscal Year 2005.
In the search fields:
Use the full year for the Fiscal Year field (i.e., 2005 instead of 05). Note that Fiscal Years for the federal government begin on October 1, rather than January 1 as in a calendar year.
For the Case Type Acronym field, select a case type either
using the pull-down box or by typing the first character of
the case type until the correct acronym appears. For example,
typing s
four times will place SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley) cases in this
field. Only the first letter is recognized. Thus, typing s o x
will not work.
Use zeros in front of the sequential number of the case (i.e., 00011 instead of 11). To get a list of all cases for a Fiscal Year for a particular case type, use the first two fields (Fiscal Year and Case Type Acronym), but leave the sequential number field blank, and then hit enter or click on the go button.
Employer/Respondent Field:
In this field you may use any part of the name -- first, last or full name. Because of the way information is entered into the DMS docket card, you may need to try both the Claimant/Complainant and Employer/Respondent fields.
Claimant/Complainant Field:
In this field you may use any part of the name
-- first, last or full name. Do not separate names by commas. For
example, use Smith John
rather than Smith, John
.
Because of the way information is entered into the DMS docket card,
you may need to try both the Claimant/Complainant and
Employer/Respondent fields. For alien labor certification cases,
use the Claimant/Complainant field to search by name of the
alien.
Date Field:
In this field you must enter the search date exactly in this format: mm/dd/yyyy. For example, to search for cases decided on November 1, 2000, enter 11/01/2000.
Search Results Page:
DMS search returns a page showing search results. Users can re-sort the results by the categories shown at the top of each column. If the Decision Date field is blank, the case is still pending. If the "DMS File" column says "NO" that means that there is no electronic document available in DMS for that case. This is usually because the case was decided prior to OALJ's DMS implementation, or because the document is under a protective order or otherwise FOIA exempt. You might be able to find older decisions by browsing the caselists in the law library part of the web site or by using a full-text search.
What does DMS cover? DMS was introduced into OALJ operations during 2000-2001. It only includes ALJ decisions. It does not include Administrative Review Board (ARB) or Benefits Review Board (BRB) decisions. Thus, researchers need to use the OALJ full-text search or browse the library collections to find older decisions. ARB decisions may be located using the OALJ full-text search, alphabetical case list, monthly case list, or subject matter library. BRB decisions may be located on the BRB web site.
How soon after issuance are ALJ decisions available on DMS Search? ALJ decisions are posted to the OALJ web site one business day after issuance, except that decisions issued under the LHWCA and its extensions are transmitted to the OALJ web site five business days after issuance. Links to LHC, LHK, DCW and LDA posted decisions often first become available on the sixth business day after issuance.
How do I cite to a decision? You may cite DMS decisions as a slip opinion.
Why is there a capital "A" on the signature line? This should happen only on decisons posted prior to mid-2013. Prior to that time, when an ALJ signed a decision a font with his or her digitized signature was placed in the document. When the web site version of the decision was created, the judge's signature font was not present so the conversion tool substituted an "A". The system was designed this way in order to prevent widespread dissemination of the judge's signature.
How do I obtain a certified copy of an ALJ decision? Electronic versions of ALJ decisions on this website's DMS service are accurate copies of the content of the decision, but the official record copy of ALJ decisions is the hard copy in the case record. Electronic copies on this website are for informational and research purposes only. To obtain a certified copy of an ALJ decision, please follow the procedure stated at 29 C.F.R. § 70.40(h). You may make such a request to OALJ's FOIA Coordinator.