Section HA 3.05 - Request for a hearing(1) An applicant or recipient who wishes to contest an action specified under s. HA 3.03 may request a hearing.(2) A request for a hearing may be made by the applicant, recipient or former recipient, by an immediate family member, or someone with legal authority to act on their behalf. The division in its discretion may require written authorization of such representation in an individual case or a type of case. (a) A request for a hearing may be made in writing or orally and may be made to the agency or the division. An oral request to the agency shall be reduced to writing by the agency and signed by the petitioner, except that a request involving only food stamps need not be signed. An agency receiving a hearing request shall immediately date-stamp the request and forward it to the division.(b) The hearing request shall include a short statement of the matter to be reviewed. If it is unclear from the request what action the person seeks to appeal or whether the petitioner has standing to obtain a hearing, the division may request clarification before taking action on the request. Note: A hearing request should be addressed to the Division of Hearings and Appeals, P.O. Box 7875, Madison, Wisconsin 53707. Appeals may be delivered in person to that office at 5005 University Avenue, Room 201, Madison, Wisconsin.
(3) Except as provided in par. (a) or (b), the petitioner shall have 45 days from the effective date of the adverse action specified under s. HA 3.03 in which to file a hearing request. (a) For a hearing request relating to food stamps, the petitioner has 90 days from the date of the action specified under s. HA 3.03 in which to file the hearing request.(b) If a different time limit for a hearing request is specified by state statute, administrative rule or federal regulation, that limit shall apply and shall be stated in the notification of Right to Appeal in the decision.(c) A hearing request shall be considered filed on the date of actual receipt by the division or agency, or the date of the postmark, whichever is earlier. A request filed by facsimile is complete upon transmission. If the request is filed by facsimile transmission and such transmission is completed between 5 p.m. and midnight, 1 day shall be added to the prescribed period.(4) The division shall deny or dismiss a hearing request under any of the following circumstances: (a) The division does not have jurisdiction to conduct a hearing on the matter appealed.(b) The petitioner or the petitioner's representative withdraws the request in writing.(c) The sole issue is one of state or federal law requiring automatic grant adjustments for classes of recipients, unless the issue being contested is that eligibility or benefits were improperly computed or that federal law or regulation is being misapplied or misinterpreted by the department.(d) The petitioner has abandoned the hearing request. The division shall determine that abandonment has occurred when the petitioner, without good cause, fails to appear personally or by representative at the time and place set for the hearing. Abandonment may also be deemed to have occurred when the petitioner or the authorized representative fails to respond within a reasonable time to correspondence from the division regarding the hearing.(e) The hearing request is not received within the time period specified in sub. (3).(5) In cases involving discontinuance, reduction, suspension of assistance or benefits or change in the form of payment of assistance, the division shall order that the adverse action be stayed and benefits continued unchanged pending the hearing decision if the hearing request was filed within the time limits specified in 42 CFR 431.230 and 431.231 for medicaid or within the time limits specified in 7 CFR 273.13 and subject to the exceptions therein for food stamps or, for social services and public assistance, if the hearing request was filed prior to the effective date of the adverse action.(6) The division shall acknowledge the receipt of a hearing request to the petitioner and the agency or department which took the action or made the decision under appeal, and shall request that the agency or department promptly provide a summary statement concerning the action or decision, including the reason for the action or decision.Wis. Admin. Code Department of Administration-Division of Hearings and Appeals HA 3.05
Cr. Register, November, 1999, No. 527, eff. 12-1-99.