Limits on contractor hearing officer(s) actions. The contractor hearing officer(s)'s specific findings of fact and conclusions of law (in accordance with
paragraph (b)(1) of this section) must not be invoked or relied on by the contractor hearing officer(s) as a basis to deny, or decline to exercise, jurisdiction over a specific item or take any other of the actions specified in
paragraph (c) of this section. Upon giving the parties to the appeal the contractor hearing officer(s)'s written specific factual findings and legal conclusions (pursuant to
paragraph (b)(1) of this section) on the question of whether the provider's cost report included an appropriate cost report claim for the specific item under appeal, the contractor hearing officer(s) must proceed to issue one of the two types of overall decisions specified in paragraphs
(d) and
(e) of this section with respect to the specific item. If the contractor hearing officer(s) issues an overall contractor hearing decision (as specified in
paragraph (d) of this section) regarding the specific item under appeal, the contractor hearing officer(s)'s written specific factual findings and legal conclusions (in accordance with
paragraph (b)(1) of this section) must be included in such overall contractor hearing decision regarding the specific item, along with the other matters that are required by the regulations for an overall contractor hearing decision. However, if the contractor hearing officer(s) issues an overall jurisdictional dismissal decision (as specified in
paragraph (e) of this section) regarding the specific item under appeal, the contractor hearing officer(s)'s written specific factual findings and legal conclusions (in accordance with
paragraph (b)(1) of this section) must not be included in the overall jurisdictional dismissal decision regarding the specific item. The contractor hearing officer(s) may permit reimbursement for the specific item under appeal, as part of an overall contractor hearing decision, but such reimbursement may be permitted only to the extent authorized by
paragraph (f) of this section.