Opinion ID: 1898789
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Authority of the Hearing Officer

Text: [¶ 8] We first address the authority of the hearing officer to entertain Coker's appeal. The right to a fair hearing arises from 22 M.R.S.A. § 4322 (Supp.1997), which provides that [a]ny person aggrieved by a decision, act, failure to act or delay in action concerning his application for general assistance under this chapter shall have the right to an appeal [to the fair hearing authority]. The City urges a narrow construction of this language, contending that an appeal is authorized only for decisions directly relating to the original application for general assistance. [¶ 9] Section 4322, however, as one of Maine's general assistance statutes, is entitled to liberal construction. See Beaulieu, 440 A.2d at 344. Its language anticipates a variety of different decisions from which an applicant will be entitled to an appeal. In recognition of this variety, section 4322 provides an appeal period of five working days when the applicant has received written notice of denial, reduction, or termination of assistance, but provides a longer appeal period, ten working days, from any other act or failure to act by the municipality with regard to an application for assistance. Moreover, guidelines established by the Department of Human Services provide that all decisions regarding General Assistance are subject to the fair hearing process. Me. Dep't. of Hum. Serv. Gen. Assistance Guidelines § 8 (June 1995) [hereinafter Guidelines]; cf. Bar Harbor Banking & Trust v. Superintendent of Bureau of Consumer Protection, 471 A.2d 292, 296 (Me.1984) (The construction of a statute by an agency charged with enforcing it is entitled to great deference.). We conclude that the City's retention of Coker's workers' compensation award constituted an act by the City regarding Coker's application for general assistance. Accordingly, the court did not err in ruling that the hearing officer had authority to entertain Coker's appeal.