The Department of Employment Services is constantly striving to further enhance the delivery of services to the public.  Its new web-based “Google” search engine is designed to make workers’ compensation decisions readily available to all interested parties.  The search feature permits access to decisions issued by Administrative Law Judges in the Office of Hearings and Adjudication [Administrative Hearings Division and Compensation Review Board].  This service is offered free of charge.  

Currently, decisions issued between January 2007 and March 2008 are available for research purposes.  This initiative is an on-going process and access to past decisions and those issued by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals will be available on-line by the end of September 2008.

The department has determined that the continuing use of Google will provide the flexibility and ease that most users are accustomed to having on the web.   Instructions for using the search engine are as follows:

How do I perform a search?

Select the input field and enter research words or phrases; click the “GO” button.  This will yield all the necessary documents that will help in researching information pertaining to the desired subject matter.  For example: If you are searching for documents that reference “loss of wages,” insert “loss of wages” into the input field and click the “GO” button.

How do I optimize my search?

Keyword search properties are provided as a part of every document.  Every PDF file that has been uploaded contains certain keywords that may be used for search purposes.  To fine-tune your search, multiple search words may be used.  For example: If you are searching for a document on “nature and extent” and “loss of wages,” you may enter the following into the input field--“nature and extent” + “loss of wages.”  In addition, if you wish to know how a particular Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ruled in “loss of wages” cases, type in the “name of the ALJ” + “loss of wages.”  All documents issued by that particular ALJ, with reference to Loss of Wages, will be retrieved.