(a) Within the prescribed time limits in G.S. 131E-185, the Department shall issue a decision to "approve," "approve with conditions," or "deny," an application for a new institutional health service. Approvals involving new or expanded bed capacity for nursing care or intermediate care for individuals with intellectual disabilities shall include a condition that specifies the earliest possible date the new institutional health service may be certified for participation in the Medicaid program. The date shall be set far enough in advance to allow the Department to identify funds to pay for care in the new or expanded facility in its existing Medicaid budget or to include these funds in its State Medicaid budget request for the year in which Medicaid certification is expected.
(b) Within five business days after it makes a decision on an application, the Department shall provide written notice of all the findings and conclusions upon which it based its decision, including the criteria used by the Department in making its decision, to the applicant.