Code of Federal Regulations Title 29. Labor § 29.2204.106 Standards for awards

(a) A prevailing applicant may receive an award for fees and expenses in connection with a proceeding, or in a discrete substantive portion of the proceedings, unless the position of the Secretary was substantially justified. The position of the Secretary includes, in addition to the position taken by the Secretary in the adversary adjudication, the action or failure to act by the Secretary upon which the adversary adjudication is based. The burden of persuasion that an award should not be made to an eligible prevailing applicant because the Secretary's position was substantially justified is on the Secretary.

(b) An award shall be reduced or denied if the applicant has unduly or unreasonably protracted the proceeding. An award shall be denied if special circumstances make an award unjust.