173.35 Residential state supplement program.

173.35 Residential state supplement program.

(A) As used in this section, “PASSPORT administrative agency” means an entity under contract with the department of aging to provide administrative services regarding the PASSPORT program created under section 173.40 of the Revised Code.

(B) The department of aging shall administer the residential state supplement program under which the state supplements the supplemental security income payments received by aged, blind, or disabled adults under Title XVI of the “Social Security Act,” 49 Stat. 620 (1935), 42 U.S.C.A., as amended. Residential state supplement payments shall be used for the provision of accommodations, supervision, and personal care services to supplemental security income recipients who the department determines are at risk of needing institutional care.

(C) For an individual to be eligible for residential state supplement payments, all of the following must be the case:

(1) Except as provided by division (G) of this section, the individual must reside in one of the following:

(a) An adult foster home certified under section 173.36 of the Revised Code;

(b) A home or facility, other than a nursing home or nursing home unit of a home for the aging, licensed by the department of health under Chapter 3721. or 3722. of the Revised Code and certified in accordance with standards established by the director of aging under division (D)(2) of this section;

(c) A residential facility as defined in division (A)(1)(d)(ii) of section 5119.22 of the Revised Code licensed by the department of mental health and certified in accordance with standards established by the director of aging under division (D)(2) of this section;

(d) An apartment or room used to provide community mental health housing services certified by the department of mental health under section 5119.611 of the Revised Code and approved by a board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services under division (A)(14) of section 340.03 of the Revised Code and certified in accordance with standards established by the director of aging under division (D)(2) of this section.

(2) Effective July 1, 2000, a PASSPORT administrative agency must have determined that the environment in which the individual will be living while receiving the payments is appropriate for the individual’s needs. If the individual is eligible for supplemental security income payments or social security disability insurance benefits because of a mental disability, the PASSPORT administrative agency shall refer the individual to a community mental health agency for the community mental health agency to issue in accordance with section 340.091 of the Revised Code a recommendation on whether the PASSPORT administrative agency should determine that the environment in which the individual will be living while receiving the payments is appropriate for the individual’s needs. Division (C)(2) of this section does not apply to an individual receiving residential state supplement payments on June 30, 2000, until the individual’s first eligibility redetermination after that date.

(3) The individual satisfies all eligibility requirements established by rules adopted under division (D) of this section.

(D)(1) The directors of aging and job and family services shall adopt rules in accordance with section 111.15 of the Revised Code as necessary to implement the residential state supplement program.

To the extent permitted by Title XVI of the “Social Security Act,” and any other provision of federal law, the director of job and family services shall adopt rules establishing standards for adjusting the eligibility requirements concerning the level of impairment a person must have so that the amount appropriated for the program by the general assembly is adequate for the number of eligible individuals. The rules shall not limit the eligibility of disabled persons solely on a basis classifying disabilities as physical or mental. The director of job and family services also shall adopt rules that establish eligibility standards for aged, blind, or disabled individuals who reside in one of the homes or facilities specified in division (C)(1) of this section but who, because of their income, do not receive supplemental security income payments. The rules may provide that these individuals may include individuals who receive other types of benefits, including, social security disability insurance benefits provided under Title II of the “Social Security Act,” 49 Stat. 620 (1935), 42 U.S.C.A. 401, as amended. Notwithstanding division (B) of this section, such payments may be made if funds are available for them.

The director of aging shall adopt rules establishing the method to be used to determine the amount an eligible individual will receive under the program. The amount the general assembly appropriates for the program shall be a factor included in the method that department establishes.

(2) The director of aging shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing standards for certification of living facilities described in division (C)(1) of this section.

The directors of aging and mental health shall enter into an agreement to certify facilities that apply for certification and meet the standards established by the director of aging under this division.

(E) The county department of job and family services of the county in which an applicant for the residential state supplement program resides shall determine whether the applicant meets income and resource requirements for the program.

(F) The department of aging shall maintain a waiting list of any individuals eligible for payments under this section but not receiving them because moneys appropriated to the department for the purposes of this section are insufficient to make payments to all eligible individuals. An individual may apply to be placed on the waiting list even though the individual does not reside in one of the homes or facilities specified in division (C)(1) of this section at the time of application. The director of aging, by rules adopted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, shall specify procedures and requirements for placing an individual on the waiting list and priorities for the order in which individuals placed on the waiting list are to begin to receive residential state supplement payments. The rules specifying priorities may give priority to individuals placed on the waiting list on or after July 1, 2006, who receive supplemental security income benefits under Title XVI of the “Social Security Act,” 86 Stat. 1475 (1972), 42 U.S.C. 1381, as amended. The rules shall not affect the place on the waiting list of any person who was on the list on July 1, 2006. The rules specifying priorities may also set additional priorities based on living arrangement, such as whether an individual resides in a facility listed in division (C)(1) of this section or has been admitted to a nursing facility.

(G) An individual in a licensed or certified living arrangement receiving state supplementation on November 15, 1990, under former section 5101.531 of the Revised Code shall not become ineligible for payments under this section solely by reason of the individual’s living arrangement as long as the individual remains in the living arrangement in which the individual resided on November 15, 1990.

(H) The department of aging shall notify each person denied approval for payments under this section of the person’s right to a hearing. On request, the hearing shall be provided by the department of job and family services in accordance with section 5101.35 of the Revised Code.

Amended by 128th General Assembly File No. 9, HB 1, § 101.01, eff. 10/16/2009.

Effective Date: 09-05-2001; 2007 HB119 06-30-2007