Conduct Of Administrative Hearing

(1) The administrative hearing will be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act and of Rule 0250-05-06. (2) The sole issue for the administrative judge to determine is whether the preponderance of the evidence, in light of the entire record, proves that the individual committed any form of abuse or neglect. (3) Unless the emergency procedures in Rule 0250-07-09-.08 apply, the Department shall not disclose that the individual has been classified as the perpetrator of any form of abuse or neglect in a substantiated report until the individual has exhausted all of his or her appeal rights under these Rules, including judicial review of a final order by the Department. The Department may only release the fact that a hearing concerning the individual pursuant to the child abuse laws of the State is pending. (4) If the administrative judge concludes that a preponderance of the evidence does not support a conclusion that the individual committed the act of abuse or neglect, or if a reviewing court reverses a departmental determination of abuse or neglect, the report shall be classified as unsubstantiated. The Department shall not release information from its records identifying the individual as a perpetrator of any form of abuse or neglect. If the Department had previously disclosed to any organization or person that an individual was under investigation under the child abuse laws of Tennessee, the Department shall immediately notify that organization or person that the report was unsubstantiated. Nothing in this rule shall be construed to require expunction of any information from internal case records maintained by the Department. (5) The decision of the administrative law judge may be appealed in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act.