(1) The office may grant a waiver of reporting requirements or an extension of time to a reporting requirement deadline based on extenuating circumstances.

(2) Waivers.

(a) A data supplier may request a waiver from submission for a period of time due to extenuating circumstances affecting the data supplier's ability to comply with the reporting requirement for that period.

(b) The request shall be for no more than one reporting year and shall contain a detailed explanation as to the reason the data supplier is unable to meet the reporting requirements.

(c) A request for a waiver must be submitted to the lead organization at least sixty calendar days prior to the applicable reporting deadline. The lead organization shall make a recommendation to the office as to whether to approve or deny the request. The approval recommendation shall also state whether the approval is for the entire period requested or for a period less than requested.

(d) The office may approve a request for extenuating circumstances. Approval may be for a time period shorter than requested. The office shall approve or deny the request and provide written notification to the requester within thirty calendar days of receipt of the request. The office decision on the request for a waiver will be provided in writing. If the office does not approve a request for a waiver, the written notification will include the reason for the denial.

(3) Extensions.

(a) A data supplier may request an extension of time for submitting a quarterly report or the resubmission of a report due to extenuating circumstances affecting the data supplier's ability to submit the data by the deadline.

(b) The request shall be for no more than one reporting quarter and shall contain a detailed explanation as to the reason the data supplier is unable to meet the reporting requirements for that quarter.

(c) A request for an extension must be submitted to the lead organization at least thirty calendar days prior to the applicable reporting deadline unless the requestor is unable to meet this deadline due to circumstances beyond the data supplier's control. If unable to meet this deadline, the data supplier shall notify the lead organization in writing as soon as the data supplier determines that an extension is necessary.

(d) The lead organization shall make a recommendation to the office as to whether to approve or deny the request. The approval recommendation shall also state whether the approval is for the entire period requested or for a period less than requested.

(e) The office may approve a request for extenuating circumstances. The office shall approve or deny the request and provide written notification to the requestor within fifteen calendar days from when the lead organization receives the request from the data supplier. The office decision on the request for an extension will be provided in writing. If the office does not approve a request for an extension, the written notification will include the reason for the denial.