(

a) The hearing regarding a rate held pursuant to

Section 11468.1 shall be conducted no later than days after the filing of a timely and specific statement of disputed issues by the provider. (

b) The hearing officer shall take the matter under submission at the conclusion of the hearing. A proposed decision, in a form that may be adopted as the decision of the department, shall be submitted to the department within days after the closure of the record. (

c) Within days after submission of the hearing officer’s proposed decision, the department shall:

(1) Adopt the proposed decision with or without reading or hearing the record.

(2) Reject the proposed decision and adopt an alternative decision based upon the documentary and electronically recorded record, with or without taking additional evidence.

(3) Refer the matter to the same or a different hearing officer to take additional evidence. If the case is so assigned, the hearing officer shall, within days, prepare a proposed decision, based upon the additional evidence and the documentary and electronically recorded record of the prior hearing. The department may then take one of the actions described in subdivision (

c) in regard to the new proposed decision. The department may return a proposed decision only twice on the same appeal. (d)

(1) The department’s decision shall be final when the decision is mailed to the parties. However, the department retains jurisdiction to correct clerical errors.

(2) Copies of the final decision of the department, and the hearing officer’s proposed decision if it was not adopted by the department, shall be mailed by certified mail to the parties.