This week, SSA released a new Chief Judge Bulletin (CJB-25-01) updating the procedures to follow when an Administrative Law Judge is unavailable to issue a decision after a hearing. Prior to August 25, 2025, HALLEX HA 01280.040B and HA 01210.055F governed—the former allowing the Hearing Office Chief Administrative Law Judge (HOCALJ) to sign a fully favorable decision IF the ALJ had previously approved a final draft and then became unavailable for signature, the latter allowing reassignment of the case to another ALJ if the hearing had been held but no final decision had been approved and the “delay in issuing a decision constitutes a detriment to the public” (in this instance, the new ALJ could issue a fully favorable without the need for a supplemental hearing if warranted after reviewing the record and audio recording of the hearing).

With the release of this new CJB, which supersedes both HALLEX provisions noted above, ALJs will now have more flexibility to authorize their HOCALJ to sign decisions. “When an ALJ has cases in EDIT or SIGN status, and is unavailable due to absence from work, an ALJ may authorize the HOCALJ to sign on the ALJ’s behalf the ALJ’s fully favorable decisions, dismissals, and any accompanying orders if…the unavailable ALJ has given the HOCALJ written authorization via email, fax, or any other writing.” Of note, “the HOCALJ should ensure that the fully favorable decision and/or dismissal draft order conforms with the unavailable ALJ’s decision writing instructions. If the HOCALJ determines for any reason that it is not appropriate to sign a decision on the unavailable ALJ’s behalf, the HOCALJ is not required to do so.”

Should you have long overdue decisions post-hearing, it is worth checking with the Hearing Office to determine if there might be an absence at play that could trigger use of CJB-25-01.