Section 14.10  Initiation of an Appeal

a)         For all appeals other than General and Transitional Assistance outside the City of Chicago, the appeal process is initiated by the appellant by:

1)         filing a written, signed request with the Bureau of Assistance Hearings;

2)         filing a written, signed request with the respective local office; or

3)         telephoning a request to the Bureau of Assistance Hearing's toll free number for filing appeals.

b)         A food stamp appeal may also be initiated by an oral request of the appellant to the local office.

c)         For General and Transitional Assistance outside the City of Chicago, the appeal process is initiated by the appellant filing a written, signed request with the Public Aid Committee. (See Section 14.80.)

d)         For purposes of an appellant initiating the appeal process, a facsimile of a written, signed request for a fair hearing is considered the same as the original written, signed request.

e)         An appeal may be filed by individuals who apply for or receive financial assistance, medical assistance, or food stamps, or by their authorized representatives. Authorized representatives must provide a written, signed authorization from the individual designating them as the individual's representative.

f)         An appeal must be filed within the following time frames:

1)         For a public assistance issue, the appeal must be filed within 60 days after the Department's action to notify the client; or

2)         For a food stamp issue, the appeal must be filed within 90 days after the Department's action to notify the client.