An eligible employee may contest the finding of a criminal conviction or pending charge reported in a printed statement issued by the Department as provided in this section. In contesting the finding of a conviction or a pending charge, the eligible employee shall contact the office of the Secretary, or a designee of the Secretary, and a hearing shall be convened within 20 workdays, unless subsequently waived by the eligible employee. The Secretary, or a designee of the Secretary, shall render a decision regarding the appeal within 5 workdays after the hearing. For the purposes of this subtitle, the record of a conviction for a crime or a copy of the record certified by the clerk of the court or by a judge of the court in which the conviction occurred, shall be conclusive evidence of the conviction. In a case where a pending charge is recorded, documentation provided by a court to the Secretary, or a designee of the Secretary, that a pending charge for a crime which has not been finally adjudicated shall be conclusive evidence of the pending charge. Failure of the eligible employee to appear at the scheduled hearing shall be considered grounds for dismissal of the appeal.