Page 231

S N A P M A N U A L

231 • The household’s rights and responsibilities relating to the hearing • Explanation of the administrative hearing process.

A copy of the notification will also be sent by the Office of Administrative Hearings at the same time to the Economic Services worker and Economic Services supervisor.

If the household is unable to participate at the scheduled time, alternate arrangements may be made. The household may request less advance notice if an earlier hearing date is desired.

1 8 . 9 F A I R H E A R I N G P R O C E D U R E S (1) Fair Hearing Procedures for Regionalized Specialized Workload (RSW)

The fair hearing will be held by telephone, unless the household asks that it be held face-to-face. The household will always be given the option for a face-to-face hearing through Microsoft Teams video conferencing. The worker who took the action will always represent the Department (Agency). The pre-hearing contact will be made by the county in which the worker who took the action is housed.

EXCEPTION: Actions that are system generated while the case is in Universal Caseload will be handled by the county of residence.

If a face-to-face hearing is requested, the household may join the hearing through Microsoft Teams video conferencing email link sent by the Hearing Officer or they may choose to report to his/her county of residence. An Economic Services supervisor in the county of residence will be present and the worker who took the action will call in.

In each case the worker will participate in the hearing by joining the scheduled Teams meeting/video conference using the information contained in the schedule letter and/or joining the Teams meeting/video conference from their DSS Microsoft Teams/Outlook account. If the worker who took the action is not at work or not available for the hearing, then the supervisor or designee must represent the Agency.

(2) Responsibilities of the hearing officer during a hearing

The responsibilities of the hearing officer during a hearing are as follows:

(A) Regulate the course of the hearing and the conduct of the parties and their counsel consistent with due process to ensure an orderly hearing. (B) Administer oaths or affirmation. (C) Rule on offers of proof and the admissibility of evidence.