Upon receipt of a written request for a hearing from an individual, the office of administrative hearings will schedule a hearing, taking into account the following requirements:

(1) The hearing decision must be issued within one hundred twenty days of the date the office of administrative hearings receives a hearing request; except as provided in subsection (6);

(2) Neither the department nor the individual can waive the one hundred twenty day requirement;

(3) The hearing will be conducted at a reasonable time and at a place that is convenient for the individual;

(4) The hearing, and any subsequent appeals, will be governed by this chapter, chapter 34.05 RCW, and chapter 388-02 WAC, or its successor regulations;

(5) A continuance may be granted for good cause upon the request of any party, as long as the hearing decision can still be issued within one hundred twenty days of the date of the receipt of the appeal; except under the circumstances described in subsection 6;

(6) If the administrative law judge finds that extenuating circumstances exist that will make it impossible to render a decision within one hundred twenty days, the administrative law judge may extend the one hundred twenty-day requirement by a maximum of sixty days; and

(7) To comply with the time limits described in this section, the individual must be available for the hearing and other preliminary matters. If the decision is not rendered within the time limit described in subsection (1), or if appropriate under subsection (6), the administrative law judge shall issue an order dismissing the appeal and the preliminary finding will become final.