Opinion ID: 1900201
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Post Hearing Modifications of the Applications and Ex Parte Contacts With the Applicants

Text: After Sandy River's application was determined complete, 22 M.R.S.A. § 306(4), and following the hearing before the MHSA, Sandy River submitted several changes to its application. The plaintiffs contend that these modifications and the related ex parte contacts between Sandy River and the Department denied it due process and violated the Department's procedures. Wyman points to three changes in Sandy River's application. First, at the Department's request, Sandy River submitted additional mortgage cost comparisons of the two facilities. Second, Sandy River sent a letter to the Department explaining their sewage treatment system. Third, in response to the Department's concerns about Bresloff's administrative skills, Sandy River notified the Department that he would work only as a nurse, not as a supervisor, at the facility. We cannot perceive how these actions deprived the plaintiffs of due process. Wyman made several changes in its application that were more substantial than the changes in Sandy River's application. Furthermore, the Department acted properly in accepting additional information and contacting the applicants to clarify points in the applications. The Certificate of Need Law provides for a hearing in the course of a review, 22 M.R.S.A. § 307(2), and thereby suggest that the Department may continue to accept new material before making its decision. In addition, the Department's regulations specify that the applicants may submit revised applications at any time before the Department makes its initial decision.