On occasion, the administrative law judge will allow applicants to participate in their hearings by telephone. In order to qualify, an applicant must demonstrate that personally attending the hearing would be an undue hardship. The administrative law judges rarely grant requests to participate in a hearing by telephone.
If you wish to participate in your hearing by telephone, you must submit a written request to the Board staff. You should submit this request as soon as possible–preferably as soon as you get your notice of hearing–in writing by fax, mail, or e-mail ([email protected]). The written request should explain, with as much detail possible, why you are asking to participate by telephone.
If you do not receive explicit authorization from the Board to participate in your hearing by telephone, you should attend in person. If you do not get a response from the Board before your hearing, you should attend in person. Failure to attend your hearing may cause your good cause exception application to be denied.