Woods Services v. Department of Public Welfare of the Commonwealth

681 A.2d 238, 1996 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 314
CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedAugust 1, 1996
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 681 A.2d 238 (Woods Services v. Department of Public Welfare of the Commonwealth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Woods Services v. Department of Public Welfare of the Commonwealth, 681 A.2d 238, 1996 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 314 (Pa. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinion

McGINLEY, Judge.

Presently before this Court are Woods Services’ (Woods) motion for summary judgment and the Department of Public Welfare’s (DPW) cross-motion for summary judgment filed in our original jurisdiction.1

Woods is a non-profit organization located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania which provides educational and residential services to mentally retarded individuals. Woods applied to the Pennsylvania Department of Health (Department of Health) for a certificate of need (CON) for a proposed 102 bed intermediate care facility (ICF) for the mentally retarded. In December of 1994, the Department of Health issued the CON which authorized the ICF to serve residents of New York, New Jersey and Maryland but not residents of Pennsylvania. Woods then applied to DPW for the necessary license to operate the ICF. DPW notified Woods that it would not license the ICF because there were no Pennsylvania residents.

On August 22, 1994, Woods submitted applications to DPW for licensing so that Woods could convert two of its licensed community residential facilities to an ICF. On December 5, 1994, DPW notified Woods by letter that “the Department has decided not to act on these applications since no benefit to the citizens of the Commonwealth would result from such action.” Letter of December 5, 1994, from Nancy R. Thaler, Deputy Secretary, to Robert G. Griffith, President of Woods at 1; Reproduced Record (R.R.) at 51a.

On January 23, 1995, Woods filed a petition for review in the nature of a complaint in equity and mandamus (complaint) against DPW alleging:

[239]*23910. DPW has not denied Woods’ Application -within the meaning of its regulations published at 7 Pa. B. 3267-3270, has not afforded Woods an opportunity for hearing, has not issued an adjudication, but has declined to act on the Applications on the purported ground that no benefit to the citizens of the Commonwealth will result from considering the applications.
11. In order to serve residents of other states and to receive medical assistance payments through states, Woods is required by the laws of those states, and the laws and regulations of the United States, to be licensed as an ICF/MR by the jurisdiction in which it is located, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It cannot be so licensed by any other jurisdiction.
12. Woods is suffering, and will continue to suffer irreparable harm by reason of the refusal of DPW to act on its Applications.
13. DPW has the mandatory duty to investigate and examine Woods’ Applications, and to license and certify it as an ICF/MR if the licensing and certification requirements are met by reason of 35 P.S. § 448.802a, 62 P.S. §§ 1001, 1002, 1007, 1016, 71 P.S. § 603(a), the decision of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in Hospital Association of Pennsylvania v. MacLeod, 487 Pa. 516, 410 A.2d 731 (1980), and other statutes, regulations and decisions of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Complaint, Paragraphs 10-13 at 3^1. DPW answered the complaint.2

In support of its motion for summary judgment Woods contends that DPW has the statutory duty to consider all applications and to either grant or deny the applications depending upon whether statutory and regulatory standards are met. DPW asserts in support of its cross-motion for summary judgment that pursuant to The Summit School, Inc. v. Department of Education, 43 Pa.Cmwlth. 623, 402 A.2d 1142 (1979) and Frisby v. Department of Public Welfare, 133 Pa.Cmwlth. 587, 577 A.2d 229 (1990) DPW has no duty to act on license applications and that its failure to act is not an abuse of discretion.

Pa. R.C.P. 1035 provides in pertinent part:

(a) After the pleadings are closed, but within such time as not to delay trial, any party may move for summary judgment on the pleadings and any depositions, answers to interrogatories, admissions on file and supporting affidavits.
(b) The judgment sought shall be rendered if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.

Section 802.1 of the Health Care Facilities Act (Facilities Act), Act of July 19, 1979, P.L. 130, as amended, 35 P.S. § 448.802a provides:

An institution which provides on a regular basis health-related care and services to resident individuals who do not require the degree of care and treatment which a hospital or skilled nursing facility is designed to provide but who because of their mental or physical condition require health-related care and services above the level of room and board. Intermediate care facilities exclusively for the mentally retarded commonly called ICF/MR shall not be considered intermediate care facilities for the purpose of this act and shall be licensed by the department of public welfare, (emphasis added).

Section 2313 of The Administrative Code of 1929 (Administrative Code), Act of April 9, 1929, P.L. 177, as amended, 71 P.S. § 603 provides:

The Department of Public Welfare shall have the power and its duty shall be:
(a) To administer and enforce the laws of the Commonwealth relative to mental health, the care, prevention, early recognition and treatment of mental illness, mental defects, epilepsy, and inebriety, the licensing and regulation of institutions for [240]*240the mentally ill, mentally defective and epileptic-(emphasis added).

In Frisby DPW refused to renew the personal care home license of Mattie Morris Frisby (Frisby). Following an administrative hearing, DPW denied Frisby’s appeal and this Court dismissed her appeal for failure to file a brief. Subsequently, DPW ordered Frisby to close her home, the Morris Arms. On February 9, 1990, Frisby and Avery Lofton (Lofton), her son, filed a complaint seeking to enjoin the closing of the home and to compel DPW to act on Lofton’s new license application to operate the Morris Arms. DPW filed a preliminary objection in the nature of a demurrer and a counterclaim seeking to enjoin the unlawful operation of the Morris Arms.

This Court refused to compel DPW to act upon Lofton’s application and stated:

Counsel for DPW explained that the agency first wanted to resolve the earlier litigation involving Ms. Frisby by closing the Morris Arms and relocating its residents. DPW’s concern is that, if it were to deny Mr. Lofton’s application before the home closed, it would enable Petitioners to operate the home without a license pending appeal. Petitioners are attempting to do indirectly what they failed to do directly. They admit in their complaint that budding and fire code violations were not corrected in a timely fashion and that Mattie Morris Frisby and her son now seek a reevaluation of the Morris Arms in view of current conditions.

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Related

Woods Services, Inc. v. Department of Public Welfare
803 A.2d 260 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 2002)

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Bluebook (online)
681 A.2d 238, 1996 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 314, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/woods-services-v-department-of-public-welfare-of-the-commonwealth-pacommwct-1996.