---
title: O.C.G.A. § 34-8-220. Appointment of hearing officers to hear and decide appealed decisions.
collection: code
id: 34-8-220
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 34-8-220 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/34-8-220
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/34-8-220.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/34-8-220/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t34-(v26)-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=ee0fddd_0#page=85
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/34-8.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/34-8-199.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/34-8-221.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md
version: Effective January 1, 2026.
in_force: true
other_versions:
  - version: Effective until January 1, 2026.
    in_force: false
    md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/34-8-220.md?version=until+January+1%2C+2026
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS / EMPLOYMENT SECURITY / APPEALS
extraction_warnings:
  - bound_version_dropped:None
---

# O.C.G.A. § 34-8-220. Appointment of hearing officers to hear and decide appealed decisions.

(a) The Commissioner shall appoint one or more impartial hearing officers to hear and decide appealed decisions. Each hearing officer shall be selected in accordance with Code Section 34-8-74. No person shall participate on behalf of the Commissioner in any case in which he or she is an interested party.

(b) Unless an appeal is withdrawn, an administrative hearing officer, after affording the parties reasonable opportunity for fair hearing, shall affirm or modify the findings of fact and initial determination or shall make a decision after hearing on issues referred by the Commissioner pursuant to subsection (b) of Code Section 34-8-192. The parties shall be duly notified of such decision, together with the reasons therefor, which shall be deemed to be the final decision of the Commissioner, unless within 15 days after the issue date printed on the decision further appeal is initiated pursuant to subsection (a) of Code Section 34-8-221.

## History

Code 1981, § 34-8-220, enacted by Ga. L. 1991, p. 139, § 1; Ga. L. 2025, p. 747, § 3/SB 191, effective January 1, 2026.

## Amendments

The 2025 amendment, effective January 1, 2026, substituted “after the issue date printed on the decision further” for “after the date of notification or mailing of such decision further” in the second sentence in subsection (b).

## Delayed Effective Date

Code Section 34-8-220 is set out twice in this Code. This version is effective January 1, 2026. For version effective until January 1, 2026, see the preceding version.