Burden of Proof

To prevail, the Appellant must show based upon all of the evidence presented at the hearing, by a preponderance of the evidence that: (a) the Department's or Provider's decision was not in conformity with the Department's policies and/or regulations and/or statutes and/or case law and resulted in substantial prejudice to the Appellant; or (b) that the Department's or Provider's procedural actions were not in conformity with the Department's policies and/or regulations, and resulted in substantial prejudice to the Appellant; or (c) if there is no applicable policy, regulation, or procedure, that the Department or Provider acted without a reasonable basis or in an unreasonable manner which resulted in substantial prejudice to the Appellant; or (d) if the challenged decision is a supported report of abuse or neglect, that the Department has not demonstrated there is reasonable cause to believe that a child was abused or neglected; or (e) if the challenged decision is a listing on the alleged perpetrators list, that there is not substantial evidence indicating the person is responsible for the abuse or neglect of a child.