Clark v. Ohio Department of Mental Retardation & Developmental Disabilities

562 N.E.2d 497, 55 Ohio App. 3d 40, 1988 Ohio App. LEXIS 3715
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 16, 1988
DocketL-87-291
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 562 N.E.2d 497 (Clark v. Ohio Department of Mental Retardation & Developmental Disabilities) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Clark v. Ohio Department of Mental Retardation & Developmental Disabilities, 562 N.E.2d 497, 55 Ohio App. 3d 40, 1988 Ohio App. LEXIS 3715 (Ohio Ct. App. 1988).

Opinion

Per Curiam.

This appeal arises from decisions of the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (hereinafter “department”) revoking appellant’s, Roger N. Clark, d.b.a. Agape Family Center No. 2 and No. 5, licenses to operate the aforementioned residential care facilities for mentally retarded adults (hereinafter “Center No. 2” and “Center No. 5”). Pursuant to R.C. 119.12, appellant appealed the license revocations to the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas, which affirmed the orders of the department. Appellant then filed timely appeals to this court which were consolidated.

A

In order to clarify the facts in this case, we first set forth the procedures required by the Ohio legislature and the department with respect to revocation of a license of an operator of a residential care facility such as Center Nos. 2 and 5.

R.C. 5123.19 delegates to the *41 Director of the department the authority to license and inspect such residential care facilities and to adopt such rules and procedures necessary to carry out this duty subject to the mandatory guidelines of R.C. Chapter 119. The department did promulgate such rules which were incorporated into the Ohio Administrative Code as Chapter 5123.

The agency rule pertinent to both cases on appeal is Ohio Adm. Code 5123:2-3-07(0). That section provides in full as follows:

“The license shall be terminated whenever an operator does not return the application for license renewal or does not pay the annual renewal fee, and the residential care facility shall be deemed closed and so notified by the licensure office in writing. Illegal actions or noncompliance with any applicable rule could lead to revocation of license (see ‘Appendix E’).”

Appendix E sets forth the specific procedure to be followed by the department during the revocation of license process and reads in pertinent part as follows:

“3.2.1 Whenever an operator fails to comply with the licensure rules set forth as minimum standards such as abuse, neglect, inadequate supervision, denial of residents’ rights, disregard for the safety and health [sic] residents, inadequate care, disregard for medical care and treatment, record-keeping, etc. a warning letter is sent by certified mail/return receipt requested, signed by the Licen-sure Manager and approved by the Director. All particular citations will be listed as well as statements reminding the operator that the Licensure Specialist submitted the citations in writing and had done the necessary work to help bring the operation into compliance. A time limit of 30 days will be set for the operator to reply and submit a plan of corrections. The operator is warned that if no reply is received within the time limit that recommendations will be made to the Director to revoke the license. This action will be entered into the Director’s Journal Entry Ledger.

“3.2.2 Frequent visits (announced and unannounced) will be made to the facility by representatives from the Department of Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities. If the visits to the facility reveal that the particular violation or violations are still outstanding, and that the operator has not submitted a plan of correction, a letter is sent by certified mail/return receipt requested, signed by the Director giving his intention to issue an adjudication order revoking the license. A time limit of 30 days is set for the operator to request a hearing, in accordance with 119.06 of the Ohio Revised Code. This action is entered into the Director’s Journal Entry Ledger.”

The department interprets these rules as requiring the following process: If there was a serious life-threatening situation that was not immediately corrected or there was a history of non-compliance, the department would begin the revocation process by issuing a warning letter; thirty days would then be given for the operator to come into full compliance with licensure rules and correct the cited deficiencies; an announced follow-up survey would then be conducted to determine whether there was substantial compliance; and, if deficiencies continue to exist, a letter would be sent to the operator indicating the department’s intention to revoke the operator’s license and that the operator must request a revocation hearing to review the decision.

A major issue in each case on appeal is whether appellant was denied due process of law because the department failed to comply with its procedural rules.

*42 R.C. 119.06 provides that no agency “adjudication order shall be valid unless an opportunity for a hearing is afforded in accordance with” R.C. 119.01 through 119.13. The agency’s actions or rules must also not offend constitutional notions of due process. Benckenstein v. Schott (1915), 92 Ohio St. 29, 42, 110 N.E. 633, 636. In addition, the agency is also bound by any rules it promulgates which have the force and effect of law unless they are unreasonable or are in conflict with related statutes enacted by the legislature. Parfitt v. Correctional Facility (1980), 62 Ohio St. 2d 434, 436, 16 O.O. 3d 455, 456, 406 N.E. 2d 528, 530, certiorari denied (1980), 449 U.S. 1061; Kroger Grocery & Baking Co. v. Glander (1948), 149 Ohio St. 120, 125, 36 O.O. 471, 474, 77 N.E. 2d 921, 924; State, ex rel. Kildow, v. Indus. Comm. (1934), 128 Ohio St. 573, 580, 1 O.O. 235, 238, 192 N.E. 873, 876. We must, however, give deference to an administrative agency’s interpretation of its own rules and regulations if such interpretation is consistent with statutory law and the plain language of the rule itself. Jones Metal Products Co. v. Walker (1972), 29 Ohio St. 2d 173, 181, 58 O.O. 2d 393, 398, 281 N.E. 2d 1, 8; Rings v. Nichols (1983), 13 Ohio App. 3d 257, 260, 13 OBR 320, 323, 468 N.E. 2d 1123, 1129. Therefore, in order to find that there was reasonable notice and a fair opportunity to be heard, we must find that the process required by statute or the department’s rules was provided by the department.

B

The pertinent facts involving Center No. 2 are as follows: On November 1, 1980, appellant was granted a license by the department to operate Center No. 2 in Hardin County, Ohio. That license was renewed annually, following inspections, through September 17, 1985.

The November 1982 renewal was conditioned upon the correction of several deficiencies. The next renewal survey occurred in January 1984. That survey indicated that some of the 1982 deficiencies had not been corrected and, further, that new deficiencies existed. In September 1984, another annual renewal survey was conducted. This report indicated some deficiencies which were repetitive of prior deficiencies and some which were new violations. The license was once again renewed, subject to the correction of these deficiencies. Unannounced follow-up visits were also made between October 1984 and May 1985. A report in December 1984 noted that all deficiencies except for the need for exterior painting and repair of the leaking roof had been completed. In May 1985, the license specialist noted several violations, some of which were citations contained in the September 1984 report.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
562 N.E.2d 497, 55 Ohio App. 3d 40, 1988 Ohio App. LEXIS 3715, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/clark-v-ohio-department-of-mental-retardation-developmental-disabilities-ohioctapp-1988.