Sec. 6. (a) The manner in which disputed claims shall be presented and the conduct of hearings and appeals, including the conduct of administrative law judges, review board members, and other individuals who adjudicate claims during a hearing or other adjudicative process, shall be in accordance with rules adopted by the department for determining the rights of the parties, whether or not the rules conform to common law or statutory rules of evidence and other technical rules of procedure.

     (b) The proceedings before an administrative law judge are de novo, except as provided in subsection (c).

     (c) Administrative law judges, review board members, and other individuals who adjudicate claims during a hearing or other adjudicative process may consider as evidence and include in the record described in subsection (d) records of the department that are material to the issues being considered in the hearing if the records are made available to the interested parties prior to the hearing through the following:

(1) The United States mail.

(2) The department’s electronic portal.

     (d) A full and complete record shall be kept of all proceedings in connection with a disputed claim. The testimony at any hearing upon a disputed claim need not be transcribed unless the disputed claim is further appealed.

     (e) Each party to a hearing before an administrative law judge held under section 3 of this chapter shall be sent a notice of the hearing at least ten (10) days before the date of the hearing specifying the date, place, and time of the hearing, identifying the issues to be decided, and providing complete information about the rules of evidence and standards of proof that the administrative law judge will use to determine the validity of the claim.

     (f) If a hearing so scheduled has not commenced within at least sixty (60) minutes of the time for which it was scheduled, then a party involved in the hearing may request a continuance of the hearing. Upon submission of a request for continuance of a hearing under circumstances provided in this section, the continuance shall be granted unless the party requesting the continuance was responsible for the delay in the commencement of the hearing as originally scheduled. In the latter instance, the continuance shall be discretionary with the administrative law judge. Testimony or other evidence introduced by a party at a hearing before an administrative law judge or the review board that another party to the hearing:

(1) is not prepared to meet; and

(2) by ordinary prudence could not be expected to have anticipated;

shall be good cause for continuance of the hearing and upon motion such continuance shall be granted.

Formerly: Acts 1947, c.208, s.1806; Acts 1963, c.208, s.1. As amended by P.L.144-1986, SEC.105; P.L.219-1989, SEC.1; P.L.135-1990, SEC.10; P.L.108-2006, SEC.31; P.L.175-2009, SEC.31; P.L.122-2019, SEC.30; P.L.119-2020, SEC.2.