A Major Step Forward for Ohio Families of Children with Disabilities
Kings Mills, Ohio—Today, the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) announced new guidance extending the mandated search for replacement care providers from every 4-6 months to once every 12 months—a significant shift and a direct result of growing legal and public pressure.
“This is a huge sigh of relief for families,” said Lindsey Sodano, lead relator in the Supreme Court of Ohio lawsuit challenging the original 4-6 month mandate. “It’s proof that when families stand up and speak the truth, we can force change—even from the most entrenched bureaucracies.”
Under previous guidance issued by DODD, children whose parents served as care workers were forced to undergo stressful and disruptive attempts to replace their parents with strangers every 4-6 months, completely disregarding the children’s state and federal free choice of provider rights. The 4-6 month replacement policy was never part of state law or administrative code—yet DODD enforced it as if it were.
Now, following intense public scrutiny and a high-profile lawsuit, DODD has walked back its position. The newly announced 12-month timeframe gives families a full year of stability between required searches—a major win for Ohio’s 3,000 children who access waiver services.
“This change proves exactly what we set out to show: that DODD’s guidance was arbitrary, unlawful and harmful,” said Jennifer Dietsch, another relator in the case. “This olive branch to the families is a step on the road to parity with other caregivers who only apply for their jobs once. Monthly check-ins, as well as agency employer oversight, ensure these jobs are being done well and don’t need repeated searches for replacements. That is our goal.”
Advocates say that while the new 12-month timeline is an improvement, it still leaves room for future legal challenges because Ohio law doesn’t require any provider replacement unless the providers are unfit. “This isn’t the finish line,” Sodano said. “But today, we celebrate a major win for common sense, common decency, and for the families who never stopped fighting for their children’s basic rights.”
Media Contact:Lindsey Sodano
End Ohio’s Parent Penalty