Opinion ID: 1201174
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The CFEC determined the eligibility issue

Text: Grunert's first argument before this court is that the CFEC based its decision only on the timeliness issue and did not consider the eligibility question. Since the timeliness issue is now moot, Grunert asks that his case be remanded to the CFEC so it can consider and decide the eligibility issue. The hearing officer carefully analyzed Grunert's gear license argument and concluded that Grunert is not eligible to apply for a limited entry permit. He also concluded that any advice Grunert received as to his ineligibility was entirely correct, and since there was no misadvice, there was no excuse for the late application. The CFEC voted to adopt this recommended decision. Grunert contends that since the CFEC offered additional comment only on the timeliness issue, it chose to rely on only one of the two grounds underlying the hearing officer's decision. In our view, by adopting the hearing officer's recommended decision, the CFEC accepted as its own everything in that decision. See AS 44.62.500(b). The CFEC did not indicate that it was adopting only part of a recommended decision. The fact that the CFEC offered additional comments to clarify the analysis of the timeliness issue suggests that it was content with the hearing officer's treatment of the eligibility question. We will therefore proceed to a review of the eligibility issue, treating the hearing officer's recommended decision as if it were issued by the CFEC.