Court Opinion

ID: 9748041
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-27 15:49:51.737258+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:25:30.878649
License: Public Domain

THE COURT.
The petition for rehearing in the above-entitled matter is hereby denied and the following supplemental opinion upon denial of rehearing (see e.g., City of Oakland v. Nutter (1970) 13 Cal.App.3d 752, 775 [92 Cal.Rptr. 347]) is certified for publication:
In the petition for rehearing, the Department contends Administrative Notice No. 97-25 should be given deference because the questions and answers therein, or Q&A’s, do not establish new policy but merely constitute interpretations of the clear intent of the legislation. However, as indicated, the Q&A’s do not cite any portion of the statute to support the Department’s assertion section 844 applies to preexisting administrative error overissuances. Further, as noted, section 844 itself is silent in this respect. The Q&A’s cannot vest section 844 with a meaning it clearly lacks. Therefore, the Department’s reliance on the Q&A’s to enlarge the reach of section 844 is misplaced.
The petition for rehearing also contends that under the pre-PRWORA regulations, collection of administrative error overissuances was mandatory, not permissive, and therefore application of section 844 to preexisting administrative error overissuances would not increase recipients’ liability for past benefits. However, as discussed, section 844’s predecessor, former 7 United States Code section 2022(b)(2)(B), contained permissive language. Even assuming recoupment was mandatory under the former regulations, the former statute, which was permissive, would be controlling, because a regulation which conflicts with congressional language is invalid. (Dion v. Com’r, Maine Dept. of Human Services (1st Cir. 1991) 933 F.2d 13, 19.) Therefore, because the former statute was permissive in this regard, application of section 844 to preexisting administrative error overissuances would have the effect of increasing recipients’ liability for past benefits. Consequently, absent express statutory authorization, retroactive application of section 844 would be inappropriate. (Landgraf, supra, 511 U.S. at p. 280 [114 S.Ct. at p. 1505].)
Appellant’s petition for review by the Supreme Court was denied February 3, 1998.