Lawmakers hear budget requests for disability services as providers warn gains could slip

Kevin Miller, director of Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, and Kim Hauck, director of the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, told the Ohio House Health Committee that recent investments have expanded services and improved workforce stability but that continued funding is needed to sustain gains.

Miller said OOD served more than 42,000 Ohioans with disabilities in federal fiscal year 2024—an increase of 5,444 people, or 14.8 percent, from the prior year—and highlighted outcome metrics including a 59.4 percent employment retention rate one year after program exit. "My name is Kevin Miller, and I am the director of opportunities for Ohioans with disabilities," he told the committee. He asked legislators to support the administration’s proposed OOD appropriation, saying "OOD's budgets represents a state investment of $43,900,000 in the general revenue fund in each year of the biennium." Miller noted that OOD leverages federal funds and said the department currently receives about $3.69 in federal match for every state general revenue dollar invested.

Hauck presented the Department of Developmental Disabilities' budget request and system overview, saying DODD supports more than 100,000 Ohioans and that over 40,000 are enrolled in home-and-community-based waivers. She asked the committee to approve the administration’s funding levels—$5.51 billion in all funds for fiscal 2026 (including $1.18 billion GRF) and $5.75 billion in all funds for fiscal 2027 (including $1.19 billion GRF)—and said those amounts would "maintain critical direct care reimbursement and meet the projected demand for state and locally funded services." She highlighted continued investments in provider rates and workforce, and described a $3.2 million per-year line item for innovative technology that regional teams use to increase independence for people with developmental disabilities.

Both witnesses described targeted programs the committee asked about. Miller said OOD’s Accessible Ohio program has established more than 191 partnerships and delivered 282 free consultations, 43 training sessions and 28 accessibility enhancements. He also described a new mobile unit that has attended 29 outreach events to serve rural and underserved communities. Hauck described a multidisciplinary comprehensive assessment team (MCAT) and requested $5 million per year for initiatives that support youth with complex needs and short-term stabilization.

Committee members pressed both directors on vulnerabilities. Representative Simone asked how federal funding trigger provisions would affect state dollars; Miller said OOD is monitoring federal guidance and that two major federal revenue streams—the Social Security Administration and the U.S. Department of Education vocational rehabilitation grant—drive a substantial portion of the agency’s budget. Representative Banks and others flagged reductions in federal quarterly reimbursements that fund personal care assistance and independent living programs; Miller said the agency had seen a drop in one quarter from approximately $3 million to $600,000 and has escalated the issue to federal liaisons and congressional staff.

A provider panel reinforced the agencies’ concerns. Peter Moore of the Ohio Provider Resource Association and other coalition members thanked the General Assembly for the prior biennial investment that helped stabilize direct support professional (DSP) wages and said more modest, predictable increases are needed to avoid returning to the workforce crisis of two years ago. The coalition proposed incremental Medicaid waiver reimbursement increases—3.4 percent on Jan. 1, 2026, and 2.3 percent on Jan. 1, 2027—and creation of a mechanism for regular adjustments. "We cannot slip back into the crisis that we just faced 2 years ago," Moore said. Adam Harmon of the Ohio Association of County Boards and Debbie Jenkins of the Ohio Healthcare Association supported the incremental increases and raised technical concerns about timing and ICF rate formulas; Jenkins also expressed support for a suggested increase in the personal-needs allowance for ICF residents.

The hearing closed with committee staff noting upcoming public hearings with the pharmacy board and the Department of Health. The committee did not take a vote on any measure during this hearing; members requested follow-up data on federal guidance, rate-model impacts, and details for specific passthrough funds such as a $550,000-per-year brain-injury item routed to Ohio State University attendees.

Ending: The committee will consider follow-up materials from DODD and OOD; no formal votes occurred at the hearing.