(a) Except as provided in subdivision (c), within 10 working days of the concluding day of the state hearing, but not later than 80 days following the date the hearing request form was received, the hearing officer shall render a written decision and shall transmit the decision to each party and to the director of the responsible state agency, along with notification that this is the final administrative decision, that each party shall be bound thereby, and that either party may appeal the decision to a court of competent jurisdiction within 90 days of the receiving notice of the final decision.

(b) The hearing officer’s decision shall be in ordinary and concise language and shall contain a summary of the facts, a statement of the evidence from the proceedings that was relied upon, a decision on each of the issues presented, and an identification of the statutes, regulations, and policies supporting the decision.

(c) Where the decision involves an issue arising from the federal home- and community-based service waiver program, the hearing officer’s decision shall be a proposed decision submitted to the Director of Health Services as the single state agency for the medicaid program. Within 90 days following the date the hearing request form is postmarked or received, whichever is earlier, the director may adopt the decision as written or decide the matter on the record. If the Director of Health Services does not act on the proposed decision within 90 days, the decision shall be deemed to be adopted by the Director of Health Services. The final decision shall be immediately transmitted to each party, along with the notice described in subdivision (a). If the decision of the Director of Health Services differs from the proposed decision of the hearing officer, a copy of that proposed decision shall also be served upon each party.

(d) The department shall collect and maintain, or cause to be collected and maintained, redacted copies of all administrative hearing decisions issued under this division. Hearing decisions shall be categorized by the type of service or support that was the subject of the hearing and by the year of issuance. The department shall make copies of the decisions available to the public upon request at a cost per page not greater than that which it charges for document requests submitted pursuant to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 6250) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code. The department shall use this information in partial fulfillment of its obligation to monitor regional centers and in its evaluation of the contract for the provision of independent hearing officers.

(Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 416, Sec. 13. Effective January 1, 2001.)