Cite as: 529 U. S. 1 (2000)
Opinion of the Court
nation described in subsection (b)(2)." (Emphasis added.) And subsection (b)(2) authorizes the Secretary to terminate an agreement, whenever she "has determined that the provider fails to comply substantially with" statutes, agreements, or "regulations." § 1395cc(b)(2)(A) (emphasis added).
The Secretary states in her brief that the relevant "de-termination" that entitles a "dissatisfied" home to review is any determination that a provider has failed to comply substantially with the statute, agreements, or regulations, whether termination or "some other remedy is imposed." Reply Brief for Petitioners 14 (emphasis added). The Secretary's regulations make clear that she so interprets the statute. See 42 CFR §§ 498.3(b)(12), 498.1(a)-(b) (1998). The statute's language, though not free of ambiguity, bears that interpretation. And we are aware of no convincing counter-vailing argument. We conclude that the Secretary's interpretation is legally permissible. See Chevron U. S. A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 467 U. S. 837, 843 (1984); Your Home Visiting Nurse Services, 525 U. S., at 453; see also 42 U. S. C. § 1395i-3(h)(2)(B)(ii) (providing a different channel for administrative and judicial review of decisions imposing civil monetary penalties.)
The Council next argues that the regulations, as implemented by the enforcement agencies, deny review in practice by (1) insisting that a nursing home with deficiencies present a corrective plan, (2) imposing no further sanction or remedy if it does so, but (3) threatening termination if it does not. See 42 CFR §§ 488.402(d), 488.456(b)(ii) (1998). Because a home cannot risk termination, the Council adds, it must always submit a plan, thereby avoiding imposition of a remedy, but simultaneously losing its opportunity to contest the lawfulness of any remedy-related rules or regulations. See § 498.3(b)(12). And, the Council's amici assert, compliance actually harms the home by subjecting it to increased sanctions later on by virtue of the unreviewed deficiency findings,
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