(a) The department shall provide an internal appeal procedure to resolve a dispute between the department and a contracting agency providing child care and development services pursuant to Section 10268.5 regarding the interpretation or application of a term or condition of a contract, or to dispute a finding made by the department resulting from a fiscal or programmatic review, including, but not limited to, an error rate notification.
(b) A contracting agency shall have the right to appeal the findings of a fiscal or programmatic review, including, but not limited to, an error rate finding, by submitting a request for appeal in accordance with the internal appeal procedure developed by the department pursuant to subdivision (a).