Failure to appear.

1. If a party fails to appear at a hearing scheduled by the Director for which the Director has not granted a continuance, the Director may hear the testimony of witnesses who have appeared and proceed to consider the matter and dispose of it based on the evidence before it. 2. If, because of accident, sickness or other reasonable cause, a person fails to request a continuance of a hearing, the person may, within 15 days after the hearing is conducted, apply to the Director to reopen the proceedings. 3. Upon finding the applicant’s reason for not requesting a continuance to be sufficient and reasonable, the Director will immediately fix a time and place for hearing and give the applicant notice thereof. Witnesses who have previously testified may not be required to appear at the second hearing unless directed to appear by the Director.