R986-100-121. Agency Conferences

  (1) Agency conferences are used to resolve disputes between the client and Department staff only in cases involving denial of expedited SNAP assistance.

  (2) Clients may have an authorized representative attend the agency conference.

  (3) An agency conference will be attended by the client's employment counselor and the counselor's supervisor unless the client or the supervisor request that the employment counselor not attend the conference.

  (4) If an agency conference has previously been held on the same dispute, the Department may decline to hold the requested conference if, in the judgment of the employment counselor's supervisor, it will not result in the resolution of the dispute.

  (5) If the Department requests the agency conference and the client fails to respond, attend or otherwise cooperate in this process, documentation in the case file of attempts by the staff to follow these steps will be considered as compliance with the requirement to attempt to resolve the dispute.

  (6) An agency conference may be held after a client has made a request for hearing in an effort to resolve the dispute. If so, the client must be notified that failure to participate or failure to resolve the dispute at the agency conference will not affect the client's right to proceed with the hearing.