Scheme Nickname: 
Judicial Officer Department with ALJ as hearing officer

The "Judicial Officer and Office of Administrative Law Judge (Office)" is part of the Judicial Officer Department at USPS. The Office hears cases on a range of USPS issues, including misuse of mail (mail fraud, distribution of periodicals, shipping of hazardous materials, recovery of postage), employee debt, and mail withholding (See 39 CFR 952-952, 957-966). These are all Type A proceedings, and remedies depend on the specific issues involved.

When a dispute arises under the jurisdiction of the Office, the hearing can be held by either an Administrative Law Judge or the Judicial Officer. If the case is heard by the Administrative Law Judge, then it can usually be appealed to the Judicial Officer. If the case is heard by the Judicial Officer, it cannot be appealed within the agency. Most of the case types overlap; although a few case types specify whether an ALJ or the Judicial Officer is the hearing officer, most leave the decision of the rank of the hearing officer to the discretion of the Office.

USPSJOAJ0001 includes cases in which the initial hearing officer is an ALJ (and the Judicial Officer responsible for Level 1 Appeals). USPSJOJO0002 includes cases in which the Judicial Officer hears cases, and there is no appeals level.

Comments/Notes on Adjudication Structure: 
The three USPS schemes relate to each other as follows: Hearings and appeals for all case types within USPS are held in the Judicial Officer Department. The Judicial Officer Department has two divisions, the "Judicial Officer and Office of Administrative Law Judge (Office)" and the "Postal Service Board of Contract Appeals." Two schemes are heard by the Office. USPSJOAJ0001 includes cases in which the initial hearing officer is an ALJ. These cases can be appealed to the Judicial Officer. USPSJOJO0002 includes cases in which the case is heard by the Judicial Officer, and cannot be appealed. These two schemes include the bulk of the case types within USPS. The third scheme is heard by the "Postal Service Board of Contract Appeals." USPSPCBA0003 involves appeals from contracts made between the USPS and contractors for procurement or disposal of property or procurement of services.
Types of Adjudication: 
Type A
Resources & Articles: 
Judicial Officer Department: http://about.usps.com/who-we-are/judicial/welcome.htm
Administrative Decisions of Office: http://about.usps.com/who-we-are/judicial/admin-decisions/welcome.htm
Verified by Agency: 
Verified
Is this a Major Adjudication: 
Yes