The Board of Appeal is Inundated with Hearing Requests

Since the deaths of 7 motorcyclists in New Hampshire caused by Volodymyr Zhukovsky, whose license should have been suspended due to a Connecticut Chemical Test Refusal, the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles has suspended an unprecedented number of driver’s licenses.

The Registry is suspending thousands of licenses for many different reasons. Common suspension reasons include ignition interlock violations, out of state DUI convictions, and reckless driving.The Registry is also imposing indefinite immediate threat revocations. The RMV is suspending so many licenses that the Board of Appeal cannot keep up with the volume.

The Board of Appeal has been absolutely inundated with hearing requests and suspension appeals. This is causing a massive backlog when it comes to processing requests and scheduling appeal hearings. The staff at the Board of Appeal of the Division of Insurance is working as hard as it can. However, they simply cannot keep up with the enormous influx of appeals.

It is taking a very long time to get appeals processed and hearings scheduled. This is through no fault of the Board. They simply do not have the manpower and resources necessary to handle the unprecedented volume of appeals. The Board usually process approximately 4,500 appeals per year and the system is set up to accommodate that volume. Now, they are being forced to handle many times that volume.

Everyone wants their license back immediately and everyone seems to have a reason why their hearing should be expedited. The Board is attempting to prioritize hearings based on the length of the suspension, with shorter suspensions being scheduled prior to longer suspensions.

Also, Ignition Interlock Violation appeals are only heard one day per month and only approximately fifteen cases are heard. These interlock violation appeals are only heard at 1000 Washington Street in Boston. Therefore, these cases take a long time to get scheduled. It’s a simple matter of supply and demand.

Please do not call the Board of Appeal to check on the status of your case. All that does is divert personnel from processing appeals. Rest assured that you will get your hearing, it just may take longer than usual.