Ohio H.B.49 and Adult Protective Services

Ohio H.B. 49 provides an increase of $15.3 million for child and adult protective services. The increase is welcome, but there is still not enough money in the 2017/2018 Ohio Biennial Budget for APS.

All 88 Ohio counties are actively engaged in a major restructuring of the APS program based on recommendations from the last biennial budget. As a result, our counties have experienced an increase in reports of adult abuse and neglect. The scourge of opiates is also impacting the senior population.

Currently, each county receives $30,000 per year in state adult protective services funding. This amount doesn’t even cover the salary of one full-time APS social worker.

The C3A Consortium proposes increasing the current $2.64 million/year appropriation to $65,000 per county, or a total of $5.72 million annually. This would provide each county with at least one full time employee dedicated to adult protective services, and ensure capacity – at the local level – to investigate alleged elder abuse.The remainder of a $10 million/year appropriation could be distributed via formula to the counties in order to help fund other necessary protective services and/or casework functions.