2016 Colorado Revised Statutes
Title 8 - Labor and Industry
Labor Ii - Workers' Compensation and Related Provisions
Article 43 - Procedure
Part 2 - Settlement and Hearing Procedures
§ 8-43-211. Notice - request for hearing

(1) At least thirty days before any hearing, the office of administrative courts in the department of personnel shall send written notice to all parties by regular or electronic mail or by facsimile. The notice must:

(a) Give the time, date, and place of the hearing;

(b) Inform the parties that they must be prepared to present their evidence concerning the issues to be heard;

(c) Inform the parties that they have the right to be represented by an attorney or other person of their choice at the hearing.

(2) Hearings shall be set by the office of administrative courts in the department of personnel within eighty to one hundred twenty days after any of the following occur:

(a) The director sets any issue for hearing. The director may expedite the hearing for good cause shown.

(b) Any party requests a hearing on issues ripe for adjudication by filing a written request with the office of administrative courts in the department of personnel on forms provided by the office. The request shall be mailed to all parties at the time they are filed with the office of administrative courts. After the filing of the requests, the office of administrative courts in the department of personnel shall set the matter for hearing insofar as is practicable in the order in which requests are received by the office of administrative courts.

(c) Any party or the attorney of such party sends notice to set a hearing on issues ripe for adjudication to opposing parties or their attorneys. The director of the office of administrative courts shall determine the place and time or times during which settings can be made. At such setting, the party requesting the setting shall submit a completed request for hearing form. Any notice to set shall be mailed to opposing parties at least ten days prior to the setting date.

(3) If an attorney requests a hearing or files a notice to set a hearing on an issue that is not ripe for adjudication at the time the request or filing is made, the attorney may be assessed the reasonable attorney fees and costs of the opposing party in preparing for the hearing or setting. The requesting party must prove its attempt to have an unripe issue stricken by a prehearing administrative law judge to request fees or costs. Requested fees or costs incurred after a prehearing conference may only be awarded if they are directly caused by the listing of the unripe issue.

(4) Except in claims in which compensability is contested or a hearing is requested in response to a final admission of liability or to overcome a conclusion in a division-sponsored independent medical examination, the party filing an application for a hearing shall certify on the application that the party attempted to resolve with the other parties all issues listed in the application for a hearing.