§ 17227. Early Disposition of Untimely Assessment, Withholding, or Request for Review.

(a) Upon the application of any Party or upon his or her own motion, the appointed Hearing Officer may issue an Order to Show Cause why an Assessment, a Withholding of Contract Payments, or a Request for Review should not be dismissed as untimely under the relevant statute.

(b) An Order to Show Cause issued under subpart (a) of this Rule shall be served on all Parties who have appeared or been served with any prior notice in the matter and shall provide the Parties with at least 10 days to respond in writing to the Order to Show Cause and an additional 5 days following the service of such responses to reply to any submission by any other Party. Evidence submitted in support or opposition to an Order to Show Cause shall be by affidavit or declaration under penalty of perjury. There shall be no oral hearing on an Order to Show Cause issued under this Rule unless requested by a Party or by the Hearing Officer.

(c) After the time for submitting responses and replies to the Order to Show Cause has passed or after the oral hearing, if any, the Hearing Officer may do one of the following: (1) recommend that the Director issue a decision setting aside the Assessment or Withholding of Contract Payments or dismissing the Request for Review as untimely under the statute; (2) find the Assessment, Withholding, or Request for Review timely and direct that the matter proceed to hearing on the merits; or (3) reserve the timeliness issue for further consideration and determination in connection with the hearing on the merits.

(d) A decision by the Director which sets asides an Assessment or Withholding of Contract Payments or which dismisses a Request for Review as untimely shall be subject to reconsideration and to judicial review in the same manner as any other Final Order or Decision of the Director. A determination by the Hearing Officer that the Assessment, Withholding, or Request for Review was timely or that the timeliness issue should be reserved for further consideration and determination in connection with the hearing on the merits shall not be subject to appeal or review except as part of any reconsideration or appeal from the Decision of the Director made after the hearing on the merits.

HISTORY

1. New section filed 1-15-2002; operative 1-15-2002 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4 (Register 2002, No. 3).

Note

Note: Authority cited: Sections 55, 59, 1742(b) and 1773.5, Labor Code. Reference: Sections 1741, 1742, 1771.5 and 1771.6, Labor Code.