(A) After the department has determined that an application is complete, affected persons must be notified in accordance with departmental regulations. The notification to affected persons that the application is complete begins the review period; however, in the case of competing applications, the review period begins on the date of notice to affected persons that the last of the competing applications is complete and notice is published in the State Register. The staff shall issue its decision to approve or deny the application no earlier than thirty calendar days, but no later than ninety calendar days, from the date affected persons are notified that the application is complete, unless a public hearing is timely requested as may be provided for by department regulation. If a public hearing is properly requested, the staff’s decision must not be made until after the public hearing, but in no event shall the decision be issued more than one hundred twenty calendar days from the date affected persons are notified that the application is complete. The staff may reorder the relative importance of the project review criteria no more than one time during the review period. The staff’s reordering of the relative importance of the project review criteria does not extend the review period provided for in this section.

(B) The department may not issue a Certificate of Need unless an application complies with the South Carolina Health Plan, Project Review Criteria, and other regulations. Based on project review criteria and other regulations, which must be identified by the department, the department may refuse to issue a Certificate of Need even if an application complies with the South Carolina Health Plan. In the case of competing applications, the department shall award a Certificate of Need, if appropriate, on the basis of which, if any, most fully complies with the requirements, goals, and purposes of this article and the State Health Plan, Project Review Criteria, and the regulations adopted by the department.

Terms Used In South Carolina Code 44-7-210

  • Affected person: means the applicant, a person residing within the geographic area served or to be served by the applicant, persons located in the health service area in which the project is to be located and who provide similar services to the proposed project, persons who before receipt by the department of the proposal being reviewed have formally indicated an intention to provide similar services in the future, persons who pay for health services in the health service area in which the project is to be located and who have notified the department of their interest in Certificate of Need applications, the State Consumer Advocate, and the State Ombudsman. See South Carolina Code 44-7-130
  • Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
  • Department: means the Department of Health and Environmental Control. See South Carolina Code 44-7-130
  • Deposition: An oral statement made before an officer authorized by law to administer oaths. Such statements are often taken to examine potential witnesses, to obtain discovery, or to be used later in trial.
  • Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
  • Interrogatories: Written questions asked by one party of an opposing party, who must answer them in writing under oath; a discovery device in a lawsuit.
  • Person: means an individual, a trust or estate, a partnership, a corporation including an association, joint stock company, insurance company, and a health maintenance organization, a health care facility, a state, a political subdivision, or an instrumentality including a municipal corporation of a state, or any legal entity recognized by the State. See South Carolina Code 44-7-130
  • Testify: Answer questions in court.

(C) On the basis of staff review of the application, the staff shall make a staff decision to grant or deny the Certificate of Need and the staff shall issue a decision in accordance with § 44-1-60(D). Notice of the decision must be sent to the applicant and affected persons who have asked to be notified. The decision becomes the final agency decision unless a timely written request for a final review is filed with the department as provided for in § 44-1-60(E).

However, a person may not file a request for final review in opposition to the staff decision on a Certificate of Need unless the person provided written notice to the department during the staff review that he is an affected person and specifically states his opposition to the application under review.

(D) The staff’s decision is not the final agency decision until the completion of the final review process provided for in § 44-1-60(F).

(E) A contested case hearing of the final agency decision must be requested in accordance with § 44-1-60(G). The issues considered at the contested case hearing considering a Certificate of Need are limited to those presented or considered during the staff review.

(F) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, including § 1-23-650(C), in a contested case arising from the department’s decision to grant or deny a Certificate of Need application, grant or deny a request for exemption under § 44-7-170, or the issuance of a determination regarding the applicability of § 44-7-160, the following apply:

(1) each party may name no more than five witnesses who may testify at the contested case hearing;

(2) each party is permitted to take only the deposition of a person listed by an opposing party as a witness who may testify at the contested case hearing and one Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 30(b)(6) deposition;

(3) each party is permitted to serve only ten interrogatories pursuant to Rule 33 of the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure;

(4) each party is permitted to serve only ten requests for admission, including subparts;

(5) each party is permitted to serve only fifteen requests for production, including subparts; and

(6) the parties shall complete discovery within one hundred twenty days after the assignment of the administrative law judge.

(G) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in a contested case arising from the department’s decision to grant or deny a Certificate of Need application, grant or deny a request for exemption under § 44-7-170, or the issuance of a determination regarding the applicability of § 44-7-160, the Administrative Law Court shall file a final decision no later than twelve months after the contested case is filed with the Clerk of the Administrative Law Court. An affected person who was a party to the contested case has a right to appeal to the Supreme Court final decisions issued by the Administrative Law Court for a contested case arising from the department’s decision to grant or deny a Certificate of Need application, grant or denial of a request for exemption under § 44-7-170, or the issuance of a determination regarding the applicability of § 44-7-160.

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