(a) The commission shall be the exclusive and final authority for the hearing and determination of all questions of law and fact arising under this chapter in those matters that have been appealed to the commission, except for an appeal to the Alaska Supreme Court. The commission does not have jurisdiction in any case that does not arise under this chapter or in any criminal case. On any matter taken to the commission, the decision of the commission is final and conclusive, unless appealed to the Alaska Supreme Court, and shall stand in lieu of the order of the board from which the appeal was taken. Unless reversed by the Alaska Supreme Court, decisions of the commission have the force of legal precedent.
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Terms Used In Alaska Statutes 23.30.008

  • Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
(b) The commission, in its administrative capacity, shall maintain, index, and make available for public inspection the final administrative decisions and orders of the commission and of the board. The chair of the commission may review and circulate among the other members of the relevant commission appeal panel the drafts of the panel’s formal decisions and decisions upon reconsideration. The drafts are confidential documents and are not subject to disclosure.
(c) The chair of the commission shall draft and propose, and the commission in its administrative capacity may adopt, regulations implementing the commission’s authority and duties under this chapter, including rules of procedure and evidence for proceedings before the commission under this chapter. The provisions of Alaska Stat. Chapter 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act) apply to the adoption of regulations by the commission.
(d) In an appeal, the commission shall award a successful party reasonable costs and, if the party is represented by an attorney, attorney fees that the commission determines to be fully compensatory and reasonable. However, the commission may not make an award of attorney fees against an injured worker unless the commission finds that the worker’s position on appeal was frivolous or unreasonable or the appeal was taken in bad faith.
(e) The commission, in its administrative capacity, may adopt and alter an official seal and do all things necessary, convenient, or desirable to carry out the powers expressly granted or necessarily implied in this chapter.
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