Employment First Administrative Rule
Employment First is a policy to ensure every person with disabilities of working age has an opportunity to seek employment.
Ohio’s 88 county boards of developmental disabilities provide or arrange for an array of comprehensive services to the state’s more than 95,000 individuals with developmental disabilities. Service and support administration services are provided to individuals eligible to assess needs and coordinate resources and services to support people to have increased opportunities to live, love, work, learn, and pursue their own life aspirations.
Employment First Administrative Rule (5123: 2-2-05):
- Community Employment is competitive employment that takes place in an integrated setting
- Every individual of working age will have a person-centered planning process to identify their desired employment outcome and their place on the path to community employment
- Services and supports will be provided to help the individual move along the path to community employment
- County boards are required to develop and implement an Employment First policy, set benchmarks to increase community employment outcomes, partner with schools and other community agencies to support individuals to obtain community employment, share information with individuals, families, schools, employers, providers and others in the community about Medicaid Buy-In, and collect employment data on individuals served. Download the Guidance to Employment First Policy and Procedure Development Document.
- Providers are required to submit progress reports at least every 12 months to ensure the individual is moving along the path to community employment and collect employment data on individuals served
Find Your County Board Employment First Administrative Rule Guidance to Employment First Policy and Procedure Development