Hearing - General rules and procedure

1. Attendance at the hearing shall be limited to those directly concerned, namely, the claimant; the claimant's authorized representative, if any; an interpreter, if any; witnesses; representatives of the human service zone, nursing facility, or divsions of the department that made the determination under appeal; and the hearing officer. The hearing officer shall exclude unauthorized persons from a fair hearing unless both principals agree to their presence. The hearing officer may exclude persons whose actions cause substantial disruption of the hearing. Appearance by the claimant, in person or by authorized representative, is required at a fair hearing. Representation by the human service zone, nursing facility, or division of the department that made the determination under appeal is also required. 2. Hearings may be conducted by telephone or other acceptable electronic means unless the person requesting the hearing demands to appear personally before the hearing officer. In all supplemental nutrition assistance program telephone or other acceptable electronic means hearings, except supplemental nutrition assistance program intentional program violation hearings, the person requesting the hearing shall be present at the same location as the human service zone representative. This provision may be waived by the department when illness, disability, travel difficulty, or other reason makes attendance of the person requesting the hearing, or that person's authorized representative, at the location of the human service zone representative impracticable. 3. Witnesses may give testimony by telephone or other acceptable electronic means unless the hearing officer determines that it will be unreasonably difficult to judge the witness's credibility without the witness's presence before the hearing officer. The party calling a witness by telephone or other acceptable electronic means shall provide reliable identification of the witness and assume responsibility for providing a satisfactory telephone connection. A party intending to call a witness by telephone or other acceptable electronic means shall provide notice of that intention to the administrative law judge and to the other parties at least three days before the date of the witness's intended testimony unless the administrative law judge determines arrangements for a satisfactory telephone or other acceptable electronic means connection may be made on shorter notice. 4. The hearing must be conducted in an impartial manner. All testimony must be submitted under oath or affirmation. 5. The proceedings at the hearing must be reported or otherwise perpetuated by mechanical, electronic, or other means capable of reproduction or transcription. 6. The hearing officer shall consider if the parties or their authorized representatives are familiar with the North Dakota Rules of Evidence and shall waive application of those rules unless all parties to the proceeding or their authorized representatives are familiar with the North Dakota Rules of Evidence. The waiver, if necessary, must be stated prior to or at any hearing. 7. An interpreter shall be provided by the state if the hearing officer determines this necessary.