About OAH

On July 1, 1998, OAH was established. Its original purpose was to conduct all adjudicative proceedings for the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitative Services (now the Department for Children and Families) pursuant to K.S.A. 75-37,121. Six years later in 2004, K.S.A. 77-561 and 77-562 authorized an independent OAH, phased in over time as the statute mandated, and took full effect on July 1, 2009.

OAH adjudicates disputes in accordance with the Kansas Administrative Procedure Act (KAPA) for many state agencies and a variety of programs within those agencies. These different agencies and their programs had their fair hearing functions phased into OAH which now serves as their central hearing panel. State agencies must utilize OAH unless their hearings are segregated from OAH by statute or whenever the agency head elects to directly preside over any of their cases.