The summary suspension hearing shall be presided over by a hearing officer selected by the Commissioner from a list prepared by the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia and shall be held as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days following service of the notice of summary suspension; however, the hearing officer may grant a written request for a continuance, not to exceed an additional 10 business days, for good cause shown. Within 10 business days after such hearing, the hearing officer shall provide to the Commissioner written findings and conclusions, together with a recommendation as to whether the license should be summarily suspended.
Within 10 business days of the receipt of the hearing officer's findings, conclusions, and recommendation, the Commissioner may issue a final order of summary suspension or an order that such summary suspension is not warranted by the facts and circumstances presented. The Commissioner shall adopt the hearing officer's recommended decision unless to do so would be an error of law or Department policy. In the event that the Commissioner rejects the hearing officer's findings, conclusions, or recommendation, the Commissioner shall state with particularity the basis for rejection. In issuing a final order of summary suspension, the Commissioner may choose to suspend the license of the child welfare agency or to suspend only certain authority of the child welfare agency to operate, including the authority to provide certain services or perform certain functions that the Commissioner determines should be restricted or modified in order to protect the health, safety, or welfare of the children receiving care. A final order of summary suspension shall include notice that the licensee may appeal the Commissioner's decision to the appropriate circuit court no later than 10 days following service of the order. The sole issue before the court shall be whether the Commissioner had reasonable grounds to require the licensee to cease operations during the pendency of the concurrent revocation, denial, or other proceeding. The concurrent revocation, denial, or other proceeding shall not be affected by the outcome of any hearing on the appropriateness of the summary suspension.
A copy of any final order of summary suspension shall be prominently displayed by the child welfare agency at each public entrance of the facility, or in lieu thereof, the child welfare agency may display a written statement summarizing the terms of the order in a prominent location, printed in a clear and legible size and typeface, and identifying the location within the facility where the final order of summary suspension may be reviewed.
The willful and material failure to comply with the final order of summary suspension constitutes a violation of subdivision 3 of § 63.2-1712. In the case of a children's residential facility, the Commissioner may require the cooperation of any other agency or subdivision of the Commonwealth in the relocation of children who are residents of a children's residential facility whose license has been summarily suspended pursuant to this section and in any other actions necessary to reduce the risk of further harm to such residents.
The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to any child welfare agency operated by an agency of the Commonwealth, which shall instead be governed by the provisions of § 63.2-1710.1.
Va. Code § 63.2-1709.1