The Ohio Senate Health and Human Services Committee Testimony
House Bill 24
Joel Potts, Executive Director
Ohio Job and Family Services Directors’ Association
June 17, 2015
Chairwoman Jones, Vice-Chairwoman Lehner, Ranking Member Tavares and members of the Senate Health and Human Services, thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today on House Bill 24. My name is Joel Potts and I am the Executive Director of the Ohio Job and Family Services Directors’ Association (OJFSDA.)
I want to thank the sponsors, members of the General Assembly and the Administration for the leadership and actions taken in the past two years regarding Adult Protective Services (APS.) Historically, Ohio has a poor track record of providing funding for the APS program. The state currently provides counties a total of $2.64 Million annually for the investigation and protection of seniors; the allocation provides each county with $30,000 dedicated to fund adult protective services. This represents asignificant infusion of resources appropriated in the last biennial budget, HB 64. Prior to that bill, counties received a statewide allocation of just $500,000, with fifty counties receiving less than $2000 a year for this purpose. Notably, county agencies are investing approximately $20 million per year for the APS program, primarily through the Title XX program and in some counties, local levies.
Senior citizens are the largest growing population in the state and reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation are on the rise. The needs far exceed current resources and more needs to be done to ensure protections are in place for our elder population.
Four years ago the sponsors of HB 24 introduced House Bill 49, which contained numerous enhancements to the APS program. Many of these changes were included in the most recent biennial budget, HB 64. The substitute measure before you today harmonizes many of the changes enacted in HB 64 with HB 24.
House Bill 24 also includes provisions which would significantly expand the types of reports counties would have to investigate, including a new category for financial exploitation, as well as dramatically increasing the number of mandated reporters in the state. These actions would result in more reports, which are warranted, but will mean an even greater need for additional capacity at the local level to respond to these reports appropriately.
While we have not seen the final language included in the substitute bill, we appreciate the work of the sponsors toward ensuring that when financial exploitation is reportedthere is clarity around the appropriate roles and responsibilities at the local level, including protective services, law enforcement, prosecutors, and the courts; as well as between the state and local governments responsible for APS.
Again, I’d like to thank the sponsors for the time they have spent crafting this legislation and the committee for your time as we worked through some concerns. I would be happy to answer any questions and look forward to working with you to continue to strengthen Ohio’s adult protective services programming.
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