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Appeal and Fair Administrative Hearing Procedures All Fuel Assistance Program (FAP) applicants who question their denial or the benefits provided are entitled to appeal the decision, which may include a Fair Administrative Hearing. Below is information regarding the appeal and hearing process. Any applicant has the right to appeal within 30 days of receiving the benefit determination letter for any of the following reasons: Applicant believes application was wrongly denied Applicant disagrees with the amount of the benefit awarded Applicant believes application was not processed within 60 days of application date (1) To appeal, the applicant should first contact the Community Action agency that processed the application. The FAP director will conduct a review and meet with the applicant via phone or virtual meeting or in person within 10 days of the applicant s request. At the meeting, the applicant will have an opportunity to express any concerns and the FAP Director will have an opportunity to attempt to resolve the dispute. (2) If the applicant is not satisfied with the outcome of this meeting, they will be referred to the NH Department of Energy (NH DOE) for a second review. The NH FAP Administrator will conduct a second review and meet with the applicant via phone or virtual meeting or in person within 10 days of the applicant s request. (3) If the applicant is not satisfied with the outcome after the two stages of the appeal above, the applicant may request in writing a Fair Administrative Hearing within 30 days of the conversation with the NH FAP Administrator. The hearing will be scheduled within 20 days of the written request and will meet the following standards: All hearings shall be held in a location reasonably convenient to the applicant. The hearing officer shall be a NH DOE employee who was not involved in rendering the challenged action or decision. The hearing officer shall review the applicant file prior to the hearing, including: FAP application, including supporting household and income documentation Written notification to the applicant of denial or other contested decision Notes and/or documentation containing information relied upon by FAP staff when making the decision to deny benefits or take the contested action Applicants have the right to review all documentation prior to the hearing, including the FAP Policy and Procedures Manual. Applicants can bring a representative to the hearing if they wish at their expense. Applicants can request an interpreter to be provided and funded by the NH DOE. At the hearing, applicants may present oral testimony, a written statement, or other evidence and have the right to present witnesses and cross-examine witnesses. The hearing will be recorded and the decision based on the record and any relevant evidence and information introduced during the hearing. A written decision will be issued by the NH DOE within 10 business days of the hearing.