Section 75.12. Hearing officer qualifications.

  A hearing officer shall be impartial and have knowledge of the delivery of vocational rehabilitation services, the requirements of the state plan for services under the act, federal regulations and state regulations and policy governing the provision of the services and the procedures for conducting an impartial hearing. The hearing officer shall not:

(1)  Be an employee of the department or other public agency except as an administrative law judge, a hearing examiner or an employee of an institution of higher education. An individual is not considered an employee of the department solely because the individual is paid by the department to serve as a hearing officer.

(2)  Be a member of the state rehabilitation planning advisory council.

(3)  Have been previously involved in the vocational rehabilitation of the applicant or eligible individual.

(4)  Have any personal or financial interest that may conflict with the hearing officer's obligation to be objective.

Cr. Register, December, 1996, No. 492 , eff. 1-1-97 ; CR 15-055 : am. (intro.), (1), (3) Register May 2016 No. 725 , eff. 6-1-16 .