Ohio Code 5119.25 – Withholding of funds for failure to comply with statutory or regulatory provisions
(A) The director of mental health and addiction services may withhold funds, in whole or in part, that otherwise are to be allocated to a board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services under section 5119.23 of the Revised Code if either of the following circumstances apply:
Terms Used In Ohio Code 5119.25
- Addiction: means the chronic and habitual use of alcoholic beverages, the use of a drug of abuse as defined in section 3719. See Ohio Code 5119.01
- Addiction services: means services, including intervention, for the treatment of persons with alcohol, drug, or gambling addictions, and for the prevention of such addictions. See Ohio Code 5119.01
- Another: when used to designate the owner of property which is the subject of an offense, includes not only natural persons but also every other owner of property. See Ohio Code 1.02
- Drug addiction: means the use of a drug of abuse, as defined in section 3719. See Ohio Code 5119.01
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Mental health services: means services for the assessment, care, or treatment of persons who have a mental illness and for the prevention of mental illness. See Ohio Code 5119.01
- Recovery supports: means assistance that is intended to help an individual with alcohol use disorder, drug addiction, or mental illness, or a member of such an individual's family, initiate and sustain the individual's recovery from alcohol use disorder, drug addiction, or mental illness. See Ohio Code 5119.01
- state: means the state of Ohio. See Ohio Code 1.59
(1) The board fails to comply with Chapter 340. or 5119. of the Revised Code or rules of the department of mental health and addiction services;
(2) The board denies available service on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, military status, sex, age, national origin, disability as defined in section 4112.01 of the Revised Code, or developmental disability.
(B) The director shall withhold funds, in whole or in part, that otherwise are to be allocated to a board under section 5119.23 of the Revised Code if either of the following circumstances apply:
(1) The director, under division (G) of section 5119.22 of the Revised Code, disapproves all or part of the board’s proposed community addiction and mental health plan, budget, or list of addiction services, mental health services, and recovery supports;
(2) The board’s use of state and federal funds fails to comply with the board’s approved budget, including approved amendments to the budget.
(C) The director shall issue a notice identifying the areas of noncompliance and the action necessary to achieve compliance. The director may offer technical assistance to the board to achieve compliance. The board shall have thirty days from receipt of the notice of noncompliance to present its position that it is in compliance or to submit to the director evidence of corrective action the board took to achieve compliance. Before withholding funds, the director or the director’s designee shall hold a hearing within thirty days of receipt of the board’s position or evidence to determine if there are continuing violations and that either assistance is rejected or the board is unable, or has failed, to achieve compliance. The director may appoint a representative from another board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services to serve as a mentor for the board in developing and executing a plan of corrective action to achieve compliance. Any such representative shall be from a board that is in compliance with Chapter 340 of the Revised Code, this chapter, and the department’s rules. Subsequent to the hearing process, if it is determined that compliance has not been achieved, the director may allocate all or part of the withheld funds to one or more community mental health services providers or community addiction services providers to provide the mental health service, addiction service, or recovery support for which the board is not in compliance until the time that there is compliance.
(D) The director shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119 of the Revised Code to implement this section.