Hearings The Hearing Officer shall hold hearings on a quarterly basis unless there are no appeals to hear or the parties agree to pend any open appeals. All materials considered in the position review shall be submitted to the Hearing Officer prior to the hearing and neither party will submit evidence at the hearing that was not submitted during the position review. The Hearing Officer shall endeavor to hold multiple hearings each day, and shall issue a concise decision which shall be final and binding. The Hearing Officer shall have no authority to alter the terms and conditions of this contract. Employees may be represented at the hearing and will be released from work with no loss of pay to attend the hearing. The Hearing Officer's fees and expenses shall be shared equally by the parties.
Hearing Aids Any active employee who is insured under any one of the 9 District sponsored medical plans may request reimbursement for the costs of 10 hearing aids. The maximum amount of reimbursement shall not exceed one 11 thousand dollars ($1,000) within any three (3) year period. The cost of 12 hardware, fitting tests, and other tests related to the hearing aids purchased 13 shall be included for reimbursement purposes. 14
Hearing The grievance shall be heard by a single arbitrator and both parties may be represented by such person or persons as they may choose and designate, and the parties shall have the right to a hearing at which time both parties will have the opportunity to submit evidence, offer testimony, and make oral or written arguments relating to the issues before the arbitrator. The proceeding before the arbitrator shall be a hearing denovo.
