Source: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/32.1-102.6/
Timestamp: 2020-08-04 15:00:49
Document Index: 732695176

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 32', '§ 32', '§ 32', '§ 2', '§ 32', '§ 32']

§ 32.1-102.6. Administrative procedures
Table of Contents » Title 32.1. Health » Chapter 4. Health Care Planning » Article 1.1. Medical Care Facilities Certificate of Public Need » § 32.1-102.6. Administrative procedures
A. To obtain a certificate for a project, the applicant shall file a completed application for a certificate with the Department and the appropriate regional health planning agency if a regional health planning agency has been designated for that region. Such application shall be filed in accordance with procedures established by the Department. An application submitted for review shall be considered complete when all relevant sections of the application form have responses. The applicant shall provide sufficient information to prove public need for the requested project exists without the addition of supplemental or supporting material at a later date. The Department shall ensure that only data necessary for review of an application is required to be submitted and that the application reflects statutory requirements. Nothing in this section shall prevent the Department from seeking, at its discretion, additional information from the applicant or other sources.
Within 10 calendar days of the date on which the document is received, the Department and the appropriate regional health planning agency, if a regional health planning agency has been designated, shall determine whether the application is complete or not and the Department shall notify the applicant, if the application is not complete, of the information needed to complete the application. If no regional health planning agency is designated for the health planning region in which the project will be located, no filing with a regional health planning agency is required and the Department shall determine if the application is complete and notify the applicant, if the application is not complete, of the information needed to complete the application.
B. For projects proposed in health planning regions with regional planning agencies, the appropriate regional health planning agency shall (i) review each completed application for a certificate within 60 calendar days of the day that begins the appropriate batch review cycle as established by the Board by regulation pursuant to subdivision A 1 of § 32.1-102.2, such cycle not to exceed 190 days in duration; (ii) within 10 calendar days following the start of the review cycle, solicit public comment on such application by posting notice of such application and a summary of the proposed project on a website maintained by the Department; such notice shall include information about how comments may be submitted to the regional health planning agency and the date on which the public comment period shall expire, which shall be no later than 45 calendar days following the date of the public notice; and (iii) in the case of competing applications or in response to a written request by an elected local government representative, a member of the General Assembly, the Commissioner, the applicant, or a member of the public, hold one public hearing on each application in a location in the county or city in which the project is proposed or a contiguous county or city. Prior to any required public hearing, the regional health planning agency shall notify the local governing bodies in the planning district. At least nine days prior to the public hearing, the regional health planning agency shall cause notice of the public hearing to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county or city where the project is proposed to be located. The regional health planning agency shall consider the comments of the local governing bodies in the planning district and all other public comments in making its decision. Such comments shall be part of the record. In no case shall a regional health planning agency hold more than two meetings on any application, one of which shall be the public hearing required pursuant to clause (iii), if any, conducted by the board of the regional health planning agency or a subcommittee of the board. The applicant shall be given the opportunity, prior to the vote by the board of the regional health planning agency or a committee of the agency, if acting for the board, on its recommendation, to respond to any comments made about the project by the regional health planning agency staff, any information in a regional health planning agency staff report, or comments by those voting members of the regional health planning agency board; however, such opportunity shall not increase the 60-calendar-day period designated herein for the regional health planning agency's review unless the applicant or applicants request a specific extension of the regional health planning agency's review period.
If no regional health planning agency has been designated for a region, the Department shall (a) within 10 calendar days following the start of the review cycle, solicit public comment on such application by posting notice of such application and a summary of the proposed project on a website maintained by the Department; such notice shall include such information about how comments may be submitted to the Department and the date on which the public comment period shall expire, which shall be no later than 45 calendar days following the date of the public notice, and (b) in the case of competing applications or in response to a written request by an elected local government representative, a member of the General Assembly, the Commissioner, the applicant, or a member of the public, hold one hearing on each application in a location in the county or city in which the project is proposed or a contiguous county or city. Prior to any required hearing, the Department shall notify the local governing bodies in the planning district in which the project is proposed. At least nine days prior to the public hearing, the Department shall cause notice of the public hearing to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county or city where the project is proposed to be located. The Department shall consider the comments of the local governing bodies in the planning district and all other public comments in making its decision. Such comments shall be part of the record.
C. After commencement of any public hearing and before a decision is made there shall be no ex parte contacts concerning the subject certificate or its application between (i) any person acting on behalf of the applicant or holder of a certificate or any person opposed to the issuance or in favor of revocation of a certificate of public need and (ii) any person in the Department who has authority to make a determination respecting the issuance or revocation of a certificate of public need, unless the Department has provided advance notice to all parties referred to in clause (i) of the time and place of such proposed contact.
D. The Department shall commence the review of each completed application upon the day which begins the appropriate batch review cycle and simultaneously with the review conducted by the regional health planning agency, if a regional health planning agency has been designated.
The Commissioner shall make determinations in accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Process Act (§ 2.2-4000 et seq.) except for those parts of the determination process for which timelines and specifications are delineated in subsection E. Further, if an informal fact-finding conference is determined to be necessary by the Department or is requested by a person seeking good cause standing, the parties to the case shall include only the applicant, any person showing good cause, any third-party payor providing health care insurance or prepaid coverage to five percent or more of the patients in the applicant's service area, and the relevant health planning agency.
3. Any person seeking to be made a party to the case for good cause, no later than four days after the Department has completed its review and submitted its recommendation on an application and has transmitted the same to the applicants and to persons who have, prior to the issuance of the report, requested a copy in writing, shall notify the Commissioner, all applicants, and the regional health planning agency, in writing and under oath, stating the grounds for good cause and providing the factual basis therefor.
G. For purposes of this section, "good cause" means that (i) there is significant relevant information not previously presented at and not available at the time of the public hearing, (ii) there have been significant changes in factors or circumstances relating to the application subsequent to the public hearing, or (iii) there is a substantial material mistake of fact or law in the Department staff's report on the application or in the report submitted by the health planning agency.
J. This section shall not apply to applications for certificates for projects defined in subdivision A 8 of § 32.1-102.1:3. Such projects shall be subject to an expedited application and review process developed by the Board in regulation pursuant to subdivision A 2 of § 32.1-102.2.
1982, c. 388; 1984, c. 740; 1991, c. 561; 1999, cc. 899, 922; 2000, c. 931; 2004, cc. 71, 95; 2005, c. 404; 2009, c. 175; 2010, c. 646; 2020, c. 1271.