Governor
Bob Taft recently appointed an MRDD Victims of Crime Task Force
that will make recommendations concerning how to investigate and
prosecute crimes perpetrated against mentally retarded and
disabled people. The
Chairman of the Task Force is Lorain County Prosecutor Gregory A.
White. (For
background relative to newspaper reports of suspicious deaths of
disabled individuals, see the Administrative Report article, Governor
Restates Commitment to MRDD Clients, February 15, 2002, Volume
XXVII, Issue 3, Page 3.)

Governor
Taft has said, “I want to strictly enforce criminal laws that
protect mentally retarded and disabled people from being
victimized. I am
pleased that Greg White, a veteran prosecutor and champion of
victims’ rights, has agreed to chair this Task Force.
It will make recommendations on how to investigate, charge
and convict criminals who hurt or steal from these vulnerable
citizens.”

Among
the qualifications of Gregory White, he has been a county
prosecutor since 1981; is a graduate of Cleveland Marshall College
of Law; chaired the Ohio Attorney General’s Victims of Crime
Advisory Board; was a member of the Ohio Victims of Crime Program
Public Awareness Advisory Council; and was a member of the
American Bar Association’s Victims Committee.

Gregory
White will work with Kenneth Ritchey, Director of the Ohio
Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (ODMRDD),
to name other public members of the Task Force, which will include
prosecutors, judges, law enforcement officials and coroners.
The MRDD Victims of Crime Task Force will work closely with
the Taft Administration, the Ohio General Assembly, and the
Supreme Court of Ohio in making recommendations that will make it
easier to prosecute criminals who take advantage of people who are
mentally retarded or developmentally disabled.

2002
Federal

Poverty

Guidelines

&
Ohio Public Assistance

Payments

Below is a chart depicting
the:

Ohio
Works First public assistance payment standards
(effective January 1, 2000),

2002
Food Stamp Allotments (effective
October 1, 2001), and

2002
Federal Poverty Guidelines
(effective
February 14, 2002.)

The
meaning of terms used in the chart below are:

Assistance
Group
means the number of individuals within a household who receive
benefits under a public assistance program.

Ohio
Works First Payment Standard
is the amount used to calculate the actual cash payment
to qualifying individuals within an assistance group.

Maximum Food Stamp
Allotment
is the maximum
amount allowable per qualifying household size/assistance group.
Eligibility is dependent upon individual circumstances.
Not all public assistance recipients apply for food stamps.

Ohio
Disability Assistance Payment Standard
is the amount used to calculate the actual payment from which all
countable income is deducted for qualifying children under age 18,
adults 60 or older, individuals receiving medical services or
substance abuse treatment.

Federal Poverty Guidelines,
updated annually by the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, reflect an increase in the previous year’s Consumer
Price Index, issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The guidelines are
the qualifying bases for many federal and state public assistance
programs.

Number

Assistance

Group

(Household)

Ohio
Works First

Payment
Standard

(eff.
1-1-00)

*Maximum

Food
Stamp Allotment

FFY
2002

Ohio

Disability

Assistance

Payment

Standard

**2002

Federal

Poverty

Guidelines***

(Excluding
Alaska & Hawaii)

Month

Year

$223

$305

$373

$461

$539

$600

$670

$743

$135

$248

$356

$442

$537

$644

$712

$814

$115

$159

$193

$225

$251

$281

$312

$361

$738.33

$995.00

$1,251.66

$1,508.33

$1,765.00

$2,021.66

$2,278.33

$2,535.00

$8,860

$11,940

$15,020

$18,100

$21,180

$24,260

$27,340

$30,420

*For
each additional person per household, add $102 of food stamp
benefits.

**For
each additional person per household, add $3,080.

***
Federal Register, February 14, 2001, pp. 6931-6933.

Ohio
Adopts Predatory Lending

Law

Governor Bob Taft recently
signed HB 386 that makes Ohio the fourth state to enact a
“predatory lending law” intended
to protect senior citizens from being victimized by unscrupulous
lenders. Predatory
lending takes advantage of people with limited means by enticing
them into loans they can not afford.

Governor
Taft said, “This bill is an important first step in protecting
Ohio citizens from predatory lending.
We will not tolerate predatory lenders, or loan sharks, who
take advantage of senior citizens, people with limited incomes, or
people with bad credit histories.”

HB
386 significantly strengthens Ohio law in the following manner:

Lenders
must disclose how much is being borrowed over the life of a
loan, provide cautionary notices that borrowers could lose
their homes if payments are not met, and assure borrowers that
completing a loan application does not lock them into
accepting a loan.
Twelve
types of unfair terms and conditions are strictly prohibited,
including refinancing within one year unless it is in the
borrower’s interest, certain pre-payment penalties that
would hurt the borrower, and lending without regard to the
borrower’s ability to pay.
The
bill allows borrowers to change their minds and cancel loans
within three days without penalty.
Makes
certain predatory lending activities a felony-level crime.

HB
386 also contains three prohibitions that go beyond federal law:

The
bill prohibits financing certain insurance policies.
The
bill prohibits refinancing certain low interest loans made by
a governmental or nonprofit entity within 10 years.
The
bill prohibits lenders from making loans if a mortgage broker
is involved in a transaction and the broker has not disclosed
certain information about the broker’s services, including
costs.

Governor
Taft has reportedly met with and encouraged the Ohio Department of
Commerce Director, Gary Suhadolnik, to vigorously enforce laws
against predatory lending and to stop unfair lending practices in
Ohio. Also, the
Governor requested that the Department closely monitor this issue
and report back to the Governor and other members of the Study
Committee, created within the bill, if additional legal tools are
needed to combat predatory lending.

The
Department of Commerce is granted the following enforcement
powers:

To
examine the records of lenders that make covered loans.
Authority
to investigate and issue subpoenas.
Authority
to seek injunctions.
Authority
to issue cease and desist orders.
Authority
to issue fines of up to $2,500 per violation and up to $5,000
in the case of multiple violations.
Fines may be doubled if the injured person is 65 or
older.

The
Governor also instructed the Commerce Department to be aggressive
in the education of citizens against falling prey to unscrupulous
lenders. The bill
provides $800,000 to be used for new educational, enforcement and
investigative efforts over the next 18 months.

For
further information, contact Joe Andrews, Governor’s Office,
614-644-0957.

Hunger
in Ohio: State of the State 2002

The
Children’s Hunger Alliance (formerly Ohio Hunger Task Force) has
published the latest Hunger in Ohio: State of the State 2002,
a detailed report containing current data, trends, and analysis on
the status of hunger throughout the sate.
The report urges Ohio policy makers to redouble their
efforts to ensure that millions of available federal dollars are
used to feed every hungry child in Ohio.

During
a recent public presentation of the report, Ellen Vollinger, Legal
Director of the Washington-based Food Research and Action Center (FRAC),
stated that Ohio continues to rank well below the national average
in food stamp participation.
In year 2000 for example, there were 1.2 million people
living in poverty and eligible for the program, yet only 600,000
were receiving food stamps.

Ms.
Vollinger also stated that Ohio is very low on the national scale
(47^th) for utilizing federally subsidized Child
Nutrition Programs. During the 2000-2001 school year, only half of the schools
that offered lunch also offered breakfast.
By accessing readily available federal dollars, Ohio could
insure that low-income children receive nutritious breakfast and
lunch in school. Every
school that offers school lunch to low-income children can also
offer school breakfast.

Some
of the findings of hunger research indicate that hungry
children do not learn, they are absent from school more often, and
they do not reach their full academic potential.
The Hunger in Ohio: State of the State 2002 contains
numerous recommendations regarding how Ohio can increase the
number of participating families in the Food Stamp Program.
The report and a county-by-county profile for each of
Ohio’s metropolitan areas can be found at www.childrenshungeralliance.org.

The
Children’s Hunger Alliance will be briefing the Ohio Department
of Job and Family Services and will be holding legislative
briefings for members of both houses of the Ohio General Assembly.
In addition, statewide community meetings will be
conducted, with the goal of engaging sponsors and sites for the
Summer Food Service programs.

For
further information, contact The Alliance at 614-341-7700,
extension 226 or 222.

Use
of “Ecstasy”

On
the

Rise

The
Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ODADAS)
recently reported that since the January 2001 report of the Ohio
Substance Abuse Monitoring (OSAM) Network, the use of Ecstasy is
readily available in nearly every area of Ohio.
Ecstasy is the common name for MDMA – a synthetic drug
with amphetamine-like and hallucinogenic properties.

The
OSAM Network, created and funded ODADAS, gathers data from key
informants in 10 regions of the state.
Treatment center admissions, law enforcement records,
personal interviews and focus groups are some of the information
sources cited in the findings.
Age, socio-economic status, race and gender also factor
into the data. Ecstasy
is now increasingly accessible to youth and young adults where
they live, learn, work and play, and is becoming more popular
among African-Americans and members of the gay community.
.

As
reported in the 2001 OSAM Network, Ecstasy most often appeared at
dance clubs or raves, generally used by white, suburban youth and
young adults. The
report just released notes a significant change. All
10 areas covered by the OSAM Network, which includes all
metropolitan regions of the state, have reported increased
availability and use of Ecstasy.
Data collected in collaboration with researchers from
Wright Sate and Akron Universities, indicate that use is also no
longer limited just to weekends.

Luceille
Fleming, Director of ODADAS, has stated, “With a prescription
drug, the user knows exactly what drug he or she is getting and in
what amount. An
Ecstasy pill looks small and harmless, but the buyer has no way of
knowing what he or she is getting or how the body will react to
it. A lethal dose
looks exactly the same as any dose, and any dose can induce
extremely high body temperatures, convulsions and brain damage or
even death.”

Based
upon the recently released national Partnership Attitude Survey
(PATS), since 1995, Ecstasy use has climbed 140 percent.
One of 10 teens (10%) has tried the drug in the past year.
Only 42 percent of teens saw great risk in trying the drug
once or twice. According
to data from the national Drug Abuse Warning Network, the number
of emergency room visits resulting from an Ecstasy overdose has
increased dramatically since the mid-90s.
In 1994, there were 250 MDMA-related emergency room
visits compared to 3,000 reported in 1999.

The
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Monitoring the Future study,
shows a dramatic increase in MDMA use among 18 to 26 year-olds in
the past four study years. For
this group, lifetime MDMA use increased fourfold from an average
of 2.4 percent in 1996 to 8.2 percent in 2000.
Given the significant jump in popularity and use of
Ecstasy, intervention and prevention measures need to be in place.
Active users generally do not perceive any negative effects
as a result of their Ecstasy use.

Clinical
studies have proven that Ecstasy has a significant effect on the
amount of serotonin that the body can produce.
The brain’s neurotransmitter serotonin enables the body
to feel hungry, tired and emotionally stable.
Research findings link MDMA use to long-term damage to
parts of the brain critical to thought and memory.
Brain damage caused by MDMA use may be permanent.

For
more information on Ecstasy and other club drugs, contact the Ohio
Prevention and Education Resource Center (OPERC) at
1-800-788-7254, or visit the NIDA web site at www.nida.nih.gov.
Additional information and prevention advertisements can be
viewed at the Partnership for a Drug-Free America’s web site at www.drugfreeamerica.org,
then click on the box, “National Survey & Ecstasy
Campaign.”

Ohio

United

Way’s

2001
SCAN

Ohio United Way has
published the 2001 SCAN, a 97-page book of trends
affecting human services in Ohio.
The document is published every two years, and features
graphs, charts and trends in the areas of: Demographics,
Economics, Social, Health, and Human Services Funding.

Specifically,
readers will have current facts available concerning: population,
unemployment, income, poverty, public assistance, housing,
homelessness, drug abuse, births, infant mortality, Medicaid, and
much more.

The
2001 SCAN is $15.00 per copy for Members, and $25.00 for
non-members. Sales tax of 5.75% can be excluded by tax-exempt
organizations. Orders
can be placed online by going to www.ouw.org,
click on the link and go to the top of the page for completion
online or printing out the form for ordering by mail.

For
further information, contact Chuck Double, MIS Administrator, Ohio
United Way, 614-224-8146.

Conferences,
Seminars & Training

The
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) is conducting a
series of public forums regarding the 2002 Hospital Care
Assurance Program (HCAP).
The Department will conduct the forums prior to filing a
proposed Ohio Administrative Code rule in late-March.

The
Department will begin each forum with a brief presentation of a
proposed distribution model. Following the brief presentation, the Department will
accept oral and written comments.

Forums
will be conducted as follows:

March
11, 1:30 p.m., at the ODJFS Toledo District Office, One
Government Center, Toledo 43604.
March
12, 11:00 a.m., at the ODJFS Cincinnati District Office, 100
East Eighth Street, Cincinnati 45202, 3^rd Floor
Conference Room.
March
13 at 11:00 a.m., at the ODJFS Cleveland District Office, 615
Superior Avenue, Cleveland 44113, in the Auditorium.
March
21, at 1:00 p.m., in the Rhodes State Office Tower, 30 E.
Broad Street, Columbus 43215, in the Lobby Multi-Purpose Room.

For
further information, contact the ODJFS Public Information Office,
614-466-6650.

The 2^nd Annual Child Focus Mental Health in Early Childhood
Conference will be held March 13-15,
2002, at the Holiday Inn, Eastgate, Cincinnati, Ohio.

The
conference will begin March 13^th with Registration at
3:00 p.m. and a reception and poster presentation at 6:00 p.m.
The presentations will be held March 14 & 15 from 8:00
a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Sponsorship
of the conference is by the Clermont County MHRB, Child Focus,
Inc., and the ODMH. The
recommended audience for the conference is Early Childhood
workers.

For
further information, contact Mr. Butch Losey, 513-752-1555.

Breaking
The Cycle of Violence: Creating Classrooms, Schools and
Communities, will be held March 21, 2002, at Youngstown State
University, DeBartolo Stadium Club, Youngstown, Ohio.

The
program will focus on factors that promote youth violence, the
developmental nature of the problem and methods for prevention and
intervention at the stages of bullying, victimization and
harassment. The
cutoff date for registration is March 11, 2002. The program begins at 8:30 a.m. and concludes at 4:15 p.m.

The
objectives of the program are to: develop an understanding of
the origins and the development of youth violence, aggression and
peer-on-peer abuse; learn about related individuals in conflict,
and how issues and the participants are viewed by others; identify
the characteristics of bullies, victims, and bystanders; identify
characteristics, potential peer-on-peer abuse situations, and the
ways and degrees to which they can become serious problems; learn
when and how to make specific interventions with those involved in
youth violence.

The
Conference is sponsored by the Eastern Ohio Counselor Association,
Prevention Partners Plus, and The Center for Behavioral Medicine
– Forum Health, Youngstown State Counseling Department.
Five Continuing Education Credits will be available for
Chemical Dependency Professional Counselors, Social Workers,
Psychologists and ATOD Prevention Specialists.

For
further information, contact Ms. Carla Patti, 330-743-6671, ext.
106.

The
Dual Diagnosis: Theories and Interventions, will be held March
27 in Columbus, at the Concourse Hotel; March 28 in Toledo at the
Radisson Hotel; and March 29, 2002 in Cleveland at the Radisson
Cleveland Southwest Hotel.

The
seminar will focus on specific interventions and modalities
designed for the full array of dual disorders, including those
with schizophrenic spectrum disorders, mood disorders, anxiety
disorders, and personality disorders, principally borderline,
narcissistic and antisocial.
It is designed to be practical, using real life examples,
which clinicians can use, and practical suggestions on how to
treat difficult or involuntary clients.
The conference will focus on these issues and will be an
asset for anyone working with the dually diagnosed population.
Continuing Education Credits will be avaialbe for Social
Workers, Counselors, Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors,
Psychologists, and Nurses.

Registration
up to seven days in advance will save $10 off the Registration fee
of $149.00. Multiple
person registration discounts (per agency) are available.

The
Presenter, Scott J. Migdole, MSW, is the Clinical Director for
Yale Behavioral Health Services and an Assistant Clinical
Professor in the Yale Department of Psychiatry, and Yale Child
Study Center. He has
significant experience in teaching psychopathology and addiction,
and directs a post-MSW fellowship at Yale Behavioral Health
Services.

The
seminar is sponsored by Cross Country University, a national
leader in high-quality educational products and services for the
health care industry. A conference guarantee is offered within seven days of
attendance, in exchange for another seminar, if satisfaction is
not achieved.

For
further information, contact Cross Country University, P.O. Box
305006, Nashville, TN 37230-5006, or 1-800-397-0180

Ohio
Administrative Rule Filings

February 14 (Rule 3304-6-10
et al) Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission – filed
15 rules subject to five-year review proposed
to be amended regarding Vehicle Modification: Motor Vehicle Modification Scope, Limitations,
Policy, and Documents; Definitions; General Requirements; General
Design Standards; Primary Controls; Secondary Controls; Access
Devices; Wheelchair/Scooter Hand-

ling
Devices; Occupant Protection and Restraint System; Vehicle
Structural Modifications; Fuel Delivery System Modifications;
Vehicle Electrical Modifications; High Tech Integrated Driving
Systems; Used Vehicles and Transferred Equipment; and
Lowered-Floor Minivan. A
public hearing will be held March 25, 2002, 10:00 a.m., in
the Cleveland, Columbus and Zanesville Conference Rooms, 400 E.
Campus View Blvd., Worthington.
Contact Mary Theodoras, 614-438-1237, or http://www.registerofohio.state.oh.us/.

February
14 (Rule 3304-2-51 et al) Ohio Rehabilitation Services
Commission – filed nine rules proposed to be
amended regarding the Vocational Rehabilitation Program:
Vocational Rehabilitation Program; Use of Comparable Benefits,
Consumer Contribution and Fees for Services; Eligibility for
Services, Assessment and Trial Work Experiences; Conditions for
Providing Services, and the Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE);
Other Goods and Services, Placement and Post-Employment Services;
Supported Employment Services; Closure; Consumer Appeals; and
Order of Selection. A
public hearing will be held March 25, 2002, 10:00 a.m., in
the Cleveland, Columbus and Zanesville Conference Rooms, 400 E.
Campus View Blvd., Worthington.
Contact Mary Theodoras, 614-438-1237, or http://www.registerofohio.state.oh.us/.

February
21 (Rule 5101:3-41-05) Ohio Department of Job and Family
Services – filed one rule proposed as new
regarding Home and Community-Based Services – Waiver VII
Programs: Waiting Lists and Long-Term Service Planning
Registries for Medicaid Services Administered by the Ohio
Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.
A public hearing will be held March 26, 9:30 a.m.,
Lobby Hearing Room, 30 E. Broad Street, Columbus.
Contact Mary Mynatt, 614-466-4605, or http://www.registerofohio.state.oh.us/.

February
22 (Rule 5101:3-12-01 et al) Ohio Department of Job and Family
Services – filed four rules subject to five-year
review proposed to be amended regarding “Ohio Home
Care” Medical Assistance Program for Medicaid-Eligible
Individuals: Ohio Home Care Program – Definitions; Consumer
Eligibility for Ohio Home Care Benefits; ODJFS-Administered Waiver
Enrollment and Waiting List Process; and Transitions HCBS Waiver.
A public hearing will be held March 26, 10:00 a.m.,
Lobby Hearing Room, 30 E. Broad Street, Columbus.
Contact Mary Mynatt, 614-466-4605, or http://www.registerofohio.state.oh.us/.

EDITORIAL

STAFF

Wilfred
Verhoff, Membership & Development Administrator

Juliet
Coles Rowland, President and Chief Executive Officer

Elaine
H. Rocker, Chair and Chief Volunteer Officer

Ohio
United Way grants permission to reprint Administrative
Report articles in whole or in part with the following
credit, “Reprinted from the Ohio United Way Administrative Report ___________(date).”

The
Administrative
Report is published twice monthly throughout the year.
The Administrative Report fee for subscribers is $45.00 for one
year. Single copies
of the Administrative
Report are $2.00.

Force

& Ohio Public Assistance