Welcome to OHA’s Electronic Filing (E-filing) System (OES)
OHA’s E-filing System (OES) provides administrative litigants with a process to submit documents via a web-based interface accessible 24 hours every day in lieu of submitting paper documents. The OES also provides litigants with an acknowledgement receipt of filings and records the time of submission. These procedures replace current paper-based procedures.
Using OES, anyone with a web-enabled computer can file documents without downloading special software or changing document preparation tools and processes.
OES utilizes standard Web-based screens and prompts to enable you to securely and efficiently submit documents in PDF format directly to OHA within minutes. When creating your PDF documents, you choose the tool, process and workflow with which you author your documents, convert them to standard PDF files and then submit them to OHA’s secure servers.
For purposes of document submissions to OHA, “E-filing” refers to the electronic submission of a pleading or legal document. Please refer to OHA’s Filing Guide for more information on how to file documents electronically.
Technical Problems
A user’s technical problems such as a lack of internet access will not excuse an untimely filing. If you wait until after close of business to attempt to e-file and encounter problems, no one will be available to assist you.If technical problems occur on OES or it is otherwise unavailable to receive e-filings, notice will be posted on OHA’s website as soon as possible. If OES is down or experiencing technical difficulties, please contact the System Administrator.
Service to other parties
Acceptance of an e-filing will constitute service to the other party(ies) in the case if these parties are registered users of OES. In that instance, parties will not need to file a certificate of service, however parties should still submit a service page listing the other parties in the case. If a party is not a registered e-filer, service must be made via traditional means such as hard copy via U.S. mail, hand-delivery, private courier, or facsimile transmission. In this instance, you must also follow up via hard copy to OHA if the other party is not a registered E-filer. Only in HEA and Overpayment cases, if all parties are registered E-filers, will you have the option of not following up with a hard copy to OHA. In all other cases (i.e. GEPA and Impact Aid), an E-filer must also send a hard copy to OHA.
Documents must be virus-free.
You are responsible for taking all reasonable steps to prevent sending any material that contains computer viruses. All submissions using OES automatically will be deleted by the system and the E-filer notified.Rejection of a filing because it contains a virus will not excuse a late filing and is considered to be a user problem, not a technical failure of OHA’s system.
E-filings Must Be Timely
- E-filings must comport with all applicable time requirements including those set by regulation and orders issued by the assigned judge or hearing official in your case.
- Any document filed using OES shall be considered filed with OHA on the date and time it is sucessfully received. A document filed before midnight will be recorded as received on that date.
- A failure to timely file or serve a document will not be excused on the basis of any technical difficulties encountered by the E-filer such as a claim that transmission could not be accomplished because OHA’s web server was off-line or unavailable for any other reason.
- A party who files a document electronically shall have the same responsibility as a person filing a document in the conventional manner for ensuring that the document is properly filed, complete and readable. OHA strongly encourages the use of OES to e-file documents in OHA cases. If you choose to file via hard copy, for information on where to mail a hard copy, go here.