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Commissioners weigh status of homemaker services RFP after vendor found to lack required certification
Summary
County staff reported that a provider contracted for homemaker services (doing business as Access Family Services / Skutt Senior Centers) appears not to hold required state certification. Prosecutor's office advised verifying licensing with Ohio Department of Aging (ODA) and Ohio Department of Health (ODH) before rescinding or rescinding contract;
Diane Dercovic, senior administrator for senior services, told commissioners the organization awarded a contract for homemaker services is doing business as Access Family Services (previously listed as Family and Community Services in county records) and that staff had been advised by the prosecutor to verify the provider’s state licensing and certification.
Dercovic and county legal counsel discussed the program’s administrative requirements. Prosecutor Bill Danzo advised the board to seek direct confirmation from the Ohio Department of Aging and Ohio Department of Health about whether the provider must hold a specific license to provide the contracted scope (homemaker services versus personal care). Danzo cautioned that rescinding an awarded contract without factual verification could expose the county to legal challenge; conversely, he said the "smoothest path" is to require providers to hold the stated licenses and, if a provider lacks them, allow the vendor to reapply in the next competitive cycle once licensed.
An attendee with provider‑relations experience told commissioners that if the provider applies and meets requirements, certification can take two to three months under ideal circumstances; county leaders said the RFP cycle resumes in March and that seniors waiting for services make timing an important consideration. Commissioners discussed whether to hold funds ($50,000 referenced in the presentation) while the provider seeks certification and whether to reopen the RFP; several commissioners said they would not allow an unlicensed provider to proceed on the basis of a promise to obtain licensing later.
The transcript records no formal rescission; staff said they would contact ODA/ODH to confirm the provider’s current status and return to the board with factual verification before taking action.
