(a) 
         A request for appeal to the State committee from a decision of a county committee must be submitted by a participant or by a participant's authorized representative in writing and addressed to the State Executive Director.
     
    
        
        (b) 
         A participant's right to appeal a decision to a State committee is waived if a participant has appealed the adverse decision to NAD before requesting an appeal to the State Committee.
     
    
        
        (c) 
         If a participant requests mediation or requests an appeal to NAD before a request for an appeal to the State Committee has been acted upon, the appeal to the State Committee will be deemed withdrawn. The deemed withdrawal of a participant's appeal to the State Committee will not preclude a subsequent request for a State Committee hearing on appealable matters not resolved in mediation.
     
    
        
        (d) 
         The Federal Rules of Evidence do not apply in appeals to a State committee. Notwithstanding, a State committee may confine presentations of evidence to material facts and exclude evidence or questions as irrelevant, unduly repetitious, or otherwise inappropriate.
     
    
        
        (e) 
         The official record of a State committee decision on an appeal will be the decision letter that is issued following disposition of the appeal.
     
    
        
        (f) 
         Deliberations shall be in confidence except to the extent that a State committee may request the assistance of FSA employees during deliberations.
     
    
        
            Code of Federal Regulations
        
        [70 FR 43266, July 27, 2005, as amended at 71 FR 30573, May 30, 2006]