Preliminary Review of a Request for Hearing
The Committee will notify the appellant/grievant/complainant (hereafter referred to as the filer) of its receipt of the Intake Form and any supporting documentation. The Committee will conduct a preliminary review to ensure that the Intake Form and supporting documentation are complete and that a basis for an appeal/grievance/complaint exists. The Committee may reject some (or all) of the arguments presented on the grounds that, even if established, they would not provide a basis for redress. If the Committee rejects any portion of the initial submission, the filer will be given an opportunity to respond in writing within a time limit to be set by the Committee.
Acceptance of an Appeal/Grievance/Complaint
The Committee will notify the filer in writing of its intention to formally accept the appeal/grievance/complaint. The respondent will also be notified and given a copy of the Intake Form and supporting documentation at this time. Once an appeal/grievance/complaint has been accepted, all communication between the Committee and the parties involved will be in writing. Only procedural matters may be clarified by telephone or e-mail.
Initial Information Gathering
The Committee will identify the issues on which the Committee will receive argument and evidence from the respondent. The respondent will be requested to respond in writing to these points within a time limit to be established by the Committee. After receiving any information requested from the respondent, if the Committee determines that more information is necessary, it will ask each party to respond in writing regarding information needed and/or questions the Committee believes to be still in dispute.
Prehearing Meeting
When the Committee is satisfied that it has sufficient written information and that a hearing is warranted, it may hold a prehearing meeting to which the parties and/or their spokesperson(s) are invited. The purpose of the prehearing is to review the pertinent aspects of the case, explore any remaining non-hearing/informal resolution(s) to the issues brought forth by the filer (e.g. mediation), to explain the formal hearing process, and to establish the timeline for logistical issues such as the exchange of exhibits and witness lists. Only the ASHAC Chair and an additional ASHAC member attend the prehearing meeting. If, after the prehearing, it is determined that an informal resolution cannot be achieved, the appeal/grievance/complaint will move to the formal hearing process. (See ASHAC’s Hearing Protocol for details of hearing process.)