(a) The Office of Administration shall provide the parties advance notice of a scheduled hearing. The notice will contain a statement of the matters to be addressed at the hearing, as well as specific instructions regarding the date, time and place of hearing. The notice shall also inform the parties that, in accordance with § 615.16 (relating to failure to attend hearing), if a party fails to attend the hearing, the hearing may be held without the participation of the nonappearing party and, thereafter, the presiding officer may take appropriate action consistent with this subchapter.
(b) Subsection (a) supersedes 1 Pa. Code § 35.121 (relating to initiation of hearings).