• Home Delivered Meals and Duplication of Services
• August 2024 County Board Office Hours
• Fiscal Year 2025 Rates for Intermediate Care Facilities Complete
• DODD Announces Community Resource Coordinators, Technical Assistance Open Door Office Hours
• DODD Celebrates DSP Recognition
• New Tools to Protect Against Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Card Thefts
• Waiver Claims Adjustment Delayed
• Reminder: RMN Users: Verify and Clean Up Current Entries
• Reminder: Outcome Tracking System Trainings
• OhioISP Gatherings
• Engaging and Interactive: Southern Behavior Support workshop
• Region 5 Tech Hub Events Start September 6
• Attend the Tech Summit on August 16

We have received questions regarding the provision of home-delivered meals when the person receives homemaker personal care (HPC) or shared living services. When planning and authorizing the home-delivered meals waiver service described in OAC 5123-9-29, the service and support administrator, or SSA, should consider the tasks a paid provider performs for the person. Home-delivered meals do not always duplicate HPC or shared living services. 

Additional guidance can be found on the home-delivered meals webpage here. 

The August 2024 County Board Office Hours topic, Accreditation Review Tool, Review Process, and Protocol, will be presented by Lisa Burt, Tina Haggerty, and Katie Willi on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, at 9 AM.

Starting on July 1, 2024, new rates for ICFs (intermediate care facilities) have been set. These rates reflect direct care costs rate increases from the DeWine-Husted FY24-25 budget. The increase for direct care costs is intended to increase the wages and compensation of DSPs. These rates account for changes made in SB 144 to ensure peer group 5 ICFs realize the budget increase.

Providers can check their rate packages on the OMES Cost Report and Rate Setting Web Portal, or they can find updated rates on our website.

If you have any questions about these rates, you can email CR-ICF@DODD.Ohio.Gov.

The DODD Technical Assistance CRCs team is pleased to sponsor the Open-Door Office Hours. Guest speaker Julie P. Gentile, MD, MBA will discuss Ohio’s Telepsychiatry Project. This virtual session will be held on August 6, 2024, from 10:00 AM -12:00 PM. 

There is no need to register. You can join by clicking on the following link. 

August 6 CRC TA Open Office Hours

September is Direct Support Professional (DSP) Recognition Month and DODD wants to celebrate with you!

As a way to show our gratitude and appreciation for direct support professionals and the work they do, members of the DODD DSP and Provider Support Team along with other DODD staff members, would love to participate in your DSP recognition activities throughout the month.

If you or your agency is planning an upcoming DSP event and you would like to have department staff join you in celebrating the work of direct support professionals, please send the name of your organization, the date, time, and location of your event and your contact information to Ann Weisent, DODD DSP and Provider Support Manager at ann.weisent@dodd.ohio.gov.

There is a growing trend in the number and amount of reported food assistance thefts for Ohioans with developmental disabilities, and people across the nation. To protect people’s resources, we recommend checking out this edition of Well-Informed on fraud protection and utilizing safety features.

A new and easy way to protect your EBT card is by using the new Card Lock/Unlock feature. Simply lock your EBT card until you go shopping and then you can unlock it. Once you have checked out, you can lock it again to protect your benefits. To learn more about this new feature and other ways to prevent fraud and theft, please visit here. 

The Ohio Department of Medicaid continues work to transition DODD claims processing from the Medicaid Information Technology System (MITS) to the new Fiscal Intermediary (FI). We are successfully processing and paying news claims but will need to adjust the anticipated date to process adjustments. We expect to process adjustments beginning with the SEP24C cycle. All adjustments submitted prior to SEP24C cycle will be rejected.

Thank you to all county boards, intermediate care facilities (ICFs), developmental centers (DCs), and providers who participated in the 2023 reporting period in the Outcome Tracking System (OTS). We had a 79% statewide questionnaire completion rate, which is the highest percentage to date! Congratulations and thank you for your hard work!

Starting October 1, 2024, the OTS will be available for participating Adult Day and Employment providers, ICFs, DCs, and county boards to enter data for the people they provided services to in the month of September 2024. Users will have six months to enter data; 10/1/2024 – 3/31/2025.

In preparation for the upcoming Reporting Period, please register for one of these trainings:

1. OTS 15-day pull training – this training prepares ICFs, DCs, and county boards in updating information to ensure an accurate representation in OTS.

2. OTS Full training – this training prepares all OTS users on how to assign records and complete questionnaires within the reporting period.

DODD has developed some resources and tools to assist users throughout the reporting period. You may also contact your regional community life engagement project manager for any questions you may have. 

Progress is being made on rewriting the restrictive measures notification (RMN) system into Salesforce. As part of this transition, five years of data will be brought over to ensure continuity and historical context.

To ensure the accuracy of the data being transferred, please review your data and let us know if there are any drafts that should be deleted. Your feedback is crucial in ensuring the integrity of the data.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at DODDRMNsupport@dodd.ohio.gov, or you can schedule a booking with us using the following link: Data Office Hours.

Thank you for your cooperation and support as we work towards this transition. 

Calling all qualified intellectual disability professionals (QIDPs) and service and support administrators (SSAs)! Come join the OhioISP team at a monthly gathering to talk about person-centered planning and the OhioISP. It’s a great opportunity to share ideas, network, collaborate, and gain valuable insights and guidance. Discussions will vary at each gathering from month to month. Your input is always welcome and valued and the OhioISP team is excited to hear what you have to share!

Please visit the website for details on how to join the gatherings. Feel free to join any session that works for your schedule. Should you need any special accommodations, please contact us at OhioISP@dodd.ohio.gov.

Join us on August 14, 2024, for a workshop where we’ll share and explore effective ways to support people with complex behavior needs. Whether you’re looking for solutions, excited to share your experiences, or just want to learn more, this workshop is for you. Your stories will guide our conversations and sharing inspire others.



Date: August 14, 2024 

Time: 10:30 AM – 12 PM

Virtual: Zoom Link Meeting ID: 160 1213 2105    Passcode: 983318 

Call-in (audio only): +1 646 828 7666 (US), +1 646 964 1167 (US Spanish Line)

No registration required.

Can't attend? Look out for future dates on our website.

For questions or assistance, contact us at behavior.support@dodd.ohio.gov. Don't miss our RMN Data Office Hours—sign up for a 30-minute chat today!

The Mid-East Ohio Regional Council (MEORC) is debuting their Region 5 Tech Hub project with an online Tech Fair will be on September 6, 2024, with follow-up in-person “Smart Tech Space” tours in Fairfield, Licking and Tuscarawas counties in October. For more information, click here.

The 2024 Tech Summit is on August 16, 2024, 8:30 AM -4 PM (vendor hall and registration open at 8 AM), at the Marriott Columbus OSU, 3100 Olentangy River Road, Columbus, OH 43202. The Tech Summit offers attendees a chance to learn about current and emerging technology solutions to support people with developmental disabilities who want more independence in their lives. Find more information and registration here.