Hearing officer deems allegations admitted in Connecticut Department of Public Health case against licensed social worker

A hearing officer for the Connecticut Department of Public Health granted the department's motion to deem allegations admitted in a disciplinary proceeding against licensed clinical social worker Carly Nassar (docket no. 2025-311) after the respondent did not appear and no answer had been filed.

Aidan Baum, the hearing officer appointed to determine findings of fact and conclusions of law, said he would “grant the department's motion to deem the allegations admitted” after testimony established the respondent had been given notice and had not appeared.

The department introduced five record exhibits, including a motion for summary suspension (dated March 20, 2025), a statement of charges (dated March 20, 2025) and an order granting summary suspension (dated March 24, 2025). Department exhibit 1, a monitoring packet, was admitted as a full exhibit with specified pages placed under seal. The sealed pages (1–5 and 24–37) were identified by the department as containing what the monitoring witness described as “protected health information.”

Lorraine Walker, identified as a paralegal specialist in the Department of Public Health Hearing Office, testified that notice of the hearing was mailed by certified and regular mail and also sent by email to the respondent at the department's address on file. Walker testified the notice specified April 3, 2025, at 2 p.m. as the hearing date and that the Teams link was provided in the notice.

Olive Truncheon, the department monitoring witness, described the underlying consent order accepted by the department on or about Nov. 12, 2024, and said the consent order required Nassar to submit to weekly observed urine drug screens, attend regularly scheduled therapy with a Connecticut-licensed therapist preapproved by the department, and to notify the department in writing within 72 hours if placed on administrative leave, suspended or terminated by her employer. The department alleged multiple violations, including missed or positive screens and lack of therapy participation on or about Feb. 14, Feb. 17, Feb. 20, March 3 and March 14, 2025.

In an opening and closing statement combined for the record, the department's attorney said the respondent was still within the first year of the probationary consent order and that missed screens are deemed positive under the consent terms. The attorney told the hearing officer, “we are asking that her license be revoked.”

Because no answer had been filed and the respondent did not appear, the hearing officer granted the department's motion to deem the allegations admitted pursuant to the regulation cited by counsel at the hearing. The department's exhibits were entered into the record as full exhibits; department exhibit 1 was admitted with specified pages sealed from public view.

No formal ruling on the department's request to revoke the respondent's license was made on the record at the close of the hearing. The hearing officer noted his role to determine findings of fact and conclusions of law and to issue an order in the matter; the record closed immediately after the department rested and the hearing was adjourned.

The Department of Public Health hearing record for docket 2025-311 now includes the admitted exhibits, the grant of the department's motion to deem the allegations admitted, and the sealed monitoring material identified by the department.