12VAC30-20-550. Settlement agreements.
A. Providers who have filed an administrative appeal under 12VAC30-20-540 or 12VAC30-20-560 may submit a proposal to DMAS to settle the appeal.
B. A proposal for a settlement shall be submitted in writing by the provider or the provider's counsel to the DMAS Appeals Division Director. The proposal shall include the justification for the settlement and the terms proposed to settle the case. The Appeals Division Director shall refer the proposal to a DMAS appeal representative authorized by the Office of the Attorney General under § 2.2-509 of the Code of Virginia to represent DMAS in administrative proceedings.
C. Stay of decision deadlines.
1. Receipt of a settlement proposal from a provider in accordance with subsection B of this section shall not require the DMAS appeal representative to engage in settlement negotiations or agree to stay the deadline for the informal appeal decision or for the formal appeal recommended decision of the hearing officer (collectively, the decision deadline). The DMAS appeal representative and the provider may jointly agree in writing to stay the decision deadline for a period of up to 60 days to facilitate settlement discussions. The date of the written agreement of the parties to stay the decision deadline shall be the start date for calculating the length of the stay. Written notice of the agreement to stay the decision deadline and the length of stay shall be provided to the Appeals Division Director on the start date. During the stay, the time period to issue the informal appeal decision or the formal appeal recommended decision shall not run; however, all other interim deadlines remain applicable.
2. If the parties mutually agree in writing to a proposed resolution within the agreed upon stay period described in subdivision C 1 of this section, then the stay shall be extended for such additional time as may be necessary for review and approval of the settlement in accordance with § 2.2-514 of the Code of Virginia.
3. A stay may be removed by a party to the appeal for any reason, including the following:
a. The parties do not agree to a full settlement within the agreed upon stay period described in subdivision C 1 of this section;
b. One party advises the other and the Appeals Division Director in writing that it no longer agrees for the stay to continue; or
c. The parties reach a proposed settlement, but the proposed settlement is not approved in accordance with § 2.2-514 of the Code of Virginia.
If the stay is removed, the stay shall be communicated in writing between the parties and written notice provided to the Appeals Division Director. The time period to issue the informal appeal decision or the formal appeal recommended decision shall resume on the day the notice is provided to the Appeals Division Director.
Statutory Authority
§ 32.1-325 of the Code of Virginia; 42 USC § 1396 et seq.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 17, Issue 19, eff. July 4, 2001; amended, Virginia Register Volume 37, Issue 24, eff. September 2, 2021.