Section 2720.210  Preparation for the Hearing

a)         Each party shall appear at the hearing before the Referee with witnesses or documents it believes to be necessary to establish or refute allegations set forth in the appeal.

b)         The Department shall provide to a party requiring a foreign language interpreter, at the Department's expense, an interpreter able and willing to translate verbatim from the witness's language into English and vice versa.  The Referee will administer an interpreter's oath to any interpreter.

c)         Upon timely request to the Referee assigned to the case, or the Referee's supervisor, prior to the beginning of an in-person hearing, a party may inspect the file during the Department's regular business hours at the office of the Referee assigned to the case.  The Department will maintain a written record of the date and name of any person inspecting the file.  In the case of a telephone hearing, a file may be inspected at the local office where the claim was filed or at the Department's Chicago central office, whose address is found in 56 Ill. Adm. Code 2712.10, if the request is made at least 2 working days prior to the hearing; when the request is timely made, the Department will provide the party making the request with an opportunity to inspect the file at least 24 hours prior to the hearing.

(Source:  Amended at 49 Ill. Reg. 11127, effective August 20, 2025)