Job and Family Services

About Us

Doug Theaker, Director	Barbara Petee, Asst. Director

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, through state and local partnerships, will be the nation's premier family support and workforce developement system contributing to skilled, healthy Ohioans, successful businesses and strong communities.

Click on this underlined link to locate our office:

Richland County Department of Job and Family Services
171 Park Ave. East
Mansfield, OH 44902

Hours of operation - 7:30 to 4:00 - Monday through Friday
Phone: (419) 774-5400

Providing assistance with the following:

Income Maintenance Programs

Ohio Works First (OWF) Builds on the Federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity
Reconciliation Act of 1996. It replaces Aid to Dependent Children (ADC), the federal cash
assistance program for needy families with dependent children. OWF provides time-limited
cash assistance which allows participants to receive cash benefits while working or
participating in training to develop skills that will help them become self-sufficient.

OWF is administered by the ODJFS, under the supervision of ODJFS. ODJFS, working with
each county's commissioners, enters into a Partnership Agreement to define how ODJFS
will support local efforts to move citizens from dependency (public assistance) to
independence (self-sufficiency). The county commissioners can assign the responsibility
to provide coordination services to any organization deemed appropriate. Historically,
public assistance has been provided by CDJFS.

The Food Stamp Program helps people with low incomes obtain nutritious food.
The Food Stamp Direction Card is issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
through job and family service departments, and are used to purchase specific
staples and grocery items at participating grocery stores. Eligibility, determined
by the CDJFS, is based on federal guidelines including income, resources and household sizes.

The Disability Assistance (DA) program is state and county funded and provides cash
and medical coverage to certain persons ineligible for federally-supported public assistance
programs. DA is designed to maintain health and help recipients meet basic needs.

Medicaid is a large, multidimensional health coverage program that provides health care
coverage to more than 1 million lower-income Ohioans. Coverage is administered by the
state and funded by federal and state dollars. Eligibility for coverage is determined
by ODJFS.

The ODJFS Office of Medicaid serves the needs of consumers through several program functions.
They include:

1. Member services
2. Provider network management
3. Quality assurance and improvement
4. Coordination of benefits
5. Claims processing and payment
6. Benefit design and pricing
7. Information services
8. Utilization review and management
9. Program integrity

The Medicaid program provides health care coverage to three primary markets:
children to age 19 whose families fall within income guidelines ( Healthy Start,
Ohio's Title XIX Medicaid and Title XXI Children's Health Insurance Program)
Working families with limited income, pregnant women and families participating
in OWF
including persons who are 65 or older, blind or have disabilities.

Disability Assistance is available for qualified disabled Ohioans through a state-funded
(non-Medicaid) program administered by the ODJFS Office of Medicaid. This provides
limited health care coverage for medications, physician services and hospital services
covered by Health Care Assurance Program (HCAP).

A web site at www.state.oh.us/odhs fully describes the Medicaid program, eligibility
guidelines, health benefit plans and covered services. The Office of Medicaid operates
a toll-free Consumer Hotline that can provide general Medicaid information. The number
is 1-800-324-8680, or TDD 1-800-292-3572. The local number is 1-877-322-2273.

The Basic Medicaid Health Plan covers a wide range of services, including:

Doctor visits
Hospital care
Prescription drugs
Preventive health care
Dental care
Transportation
Vision services
Mental health and substance abuse treatment service

Long-Term Care Health Plan, Ohio Home Care Waiver, and Passport are other services that are available through the Office of Medicaid. Eligibility for these programs is determined by the local CDJFS.

Healthy Start offers comprehensive health care coverage for children in families with income up to 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Guideline. Healthy Start includes coverage for doctor visits, hospital care, prescription drugs, dental visits and eyeglasses. Individuals can get more information by calling the Medicaid Consumer Hotline at 1-800-324-8680, or locally at 1-877-322-2273.

Work Activities

Self-sufficiency Contracts serve as a guide to assist the CDJFS in helping families design personalized plans that will help each adult family member become self-sufficient.

Work activities are mandatory and require participation in order to receive assistance.
Work activities include:

basic education
vocational education
post-secondary education
job readiness training
job search assistance
subsidized employment opportunities
help starting small business through federal micro-enterprise grants

Child care, Medicaid and transportation are also available to work activity participants.

PRC ( Prevention, Retention, and Contingency) is a program designed to help families in
different levels of need. Participants may only need help to get past an initial barrier
in order to work. PRC provides temporary help for a family while they are getting back on
their feet due to unforseen hardships. Each county designs its own PRC program to meet the
needs of local families. PRC can help individuals keep jobs or help them get better jobs.

Learning, Earning and Parenting Program (LEAP) is designed to help OWF-eligible teen parents
and pregnant teens who have not completed high school. Financial incentives are provided to
help LEAP teens graduate or get their High School Equivalence Diploma (HSED). Supportive
services such as child care, transportation and food stamps are available.

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Employment and Training program (TANF E&T)
focuses much-needed services on what has historically been the hard-to-serve population
families that have been receiving cash assistance for two years or more.
TANF E&T allows counties to design flexible employment and training efforts that support
OWF's six guiding principles.

Food Stamp Employment and Training (FSET) offers a wide array of work force development
services to food stamp recipients who are not participating in OWF. FSET services include:

employment placement assistance
work experience
basic education, including preparation for the HSED
post-secondary education
job readiness training
job search assistance
micro-enterprise assistance

The services are coordinated with other work force development providers in the community.

Child Care Assistance programs pay a portion of the cost of child care while parents
participate in OWF work activities. CDJSFs are permitted to continue payment for up
to one year following OWF participation. The CDJFS determines eligibility and pays
eligible providers. Federal and state funds are used to reimburse the CDJFS for child
care services.

Work Force Development is a coordinated system of programs for individuals that results
in a pipeline of trained workers available to meet the needs of Ohio employers.

WIA is a program that provides services to clients which include core services, assessment
and provision of work experience and education. WIA coordinates services with our current
Work Activity program.

One Stop is a concept of a no-wrong door philosophy whereby our clients can receive
intensive training services that will move individuals toward self-sufficiency.
The One-Stop system is used by everyone job seekers, parents and children looking
at occupational trends, pregnant teens that need supportive services, employed people
seeking to improve or add to their skills, retirees interested in part-time or volunteer
employment, anyone needing a resume, etc.

Area agencies can also coordinate services to avoid clients being sent from place to
place looking for the services they need to become active members of the work force.

One Stop will be utilized by employers for on site interviews and workshops, employee
recruitment and screening, job matching services and coordination of training service
with partner agencies.

Community and Faith-based Projects ODJFS helps counties work with local community
and faith-based organizations to create partnerships and programs that help OWF participants
and the working poor advance in the work force.


Training

In July 1999, the ODJFS Office of Professional Development and Quality Services was created.
Among its tasks is to bring together under one office the diverse training operations of the
department. That training includes not only ODJFS staff, but staff of all county job and
family services, children's services and child support agencies.

Social Services

The Adult Protective Services program reduces or remedies conditions causing endangerment
to adults, maximizing the adult's independence and self-direction, and preventing unnecessary
institutionalization. Support services are provided by CDJFSs which are guided by ODJFS rules,
policies and procedures.

Title XX of the Social Security Act provides funding to counties for local social services
programs for families, children and adults. Funds are used to strengthen, restore, maintain
or improve their ability to be self-supportive and independent. The funds are distributed by
the state, but CDJFS determine what services will be available in their communities.


Healthchek/Pregnancy related services provides health care checkups for children birth to
21 who has a Medicaid Card. This service provides well-child physical, dental every six
months, vision and hearing checkups and provides one pair of glasses per year, prescriptions.

Provides prenatal visits and transportation for pregnant women with a Medicaid card. May
refer to other agencies for other needs relating to a pregnancy or a new birth.

Information and Referral - provides community members with information about services that
are available to help with all types of needs. The hotline is available 8:00a.m. to 9:00 p.m. hours and can be
reached by dialing (419) 522-4636.


While there are no fees for our services, an application is required.

Appointments are preferred.