(1) If an application for public assistance is not acted upon within a reasonable time after the filing of the application, or is denied in whole or in part, or if an assistance payment is modified or canceled, the applicant or recipient may appeal the decision to the Department of Children and Family Services in the manner and form prescribed by the department.
(2) The hearing authority may be the Secretary of Children and Family Services, a panel of department officials, or a hearing officer appointed for that purpose. The hearing authority is responsible for a final administrative decision in the name of the department on all issues that have been the subject of a hearing. With regard to the department, the decision of the hearing authority is final and binding. The department is responsible for seeing that the decision is carried out promptly.
(3) The department may adopt rules to administer this section. Rules for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant programs must be similar to the federal requirements for Medicaid programs.
