1. (a) It is the responsibility of the Division of County Operations to provide an office with privacy in which a hearing can be conducted as well as necessary telephone and/or computer equipment for hearings by telephone or by video conference.

2. (b)

   1. (1) It is also the responsibility of the division to designate a county representative prior to the time of the hearing in all cases except those that involve a disability determination by the Medical Review Team.

   2. (2) The representative will be familiar with the case and able to answer pertinent questions from the:

      1. (A) Petitioner;
      2. (B) Petitioner’s representative; and
      3. (C) Hearing official.
   3. (3) The county representative will be prepared to represent the county office at the scheduled time of the hearing to comply with all applicable time frames.

3. (c)

   1. (1) The county representative will ensure that all parties, representatives, and witnesses who have arrived at the Department of Human Services county office or other designated hearing location are escorted to the designated hearings room by the hearing start time.

   2. (2) When a hearing is held in the department’s county office, the county representative will ensure that the:

      1. (A) Speaker telephone or video conferencing equipment is operational; and
      2. (B) Petitioner is comfortably seated in the room where the hearing will be held.
4. (d) The division may request legal assistance to prepare for the hearing and for representation at the hearing by contacting the Office of Chief Counsel of the Department of Human Services.

Codification Notes: This section as promulgated prior to codification into the Code of Arkansas Rules provided as follows: “06/08/12”