It is an Ohio State Law that any paid employee of an agency that goes to a home to care for the elderly in Ohio must be fingerprinted for a BCII and/or FBI background report. An agency in this case may be just one person. The entire law can be viewed at the ODH website. The following link is provided so that you can read a section of this law for yourself.
http://www.odh.ohio.gov/ASSETS/C481AE17FA8E4CD49D7D51F3A8E028BD/Fr60_04.PDF
The law states that if a person lived in Ohio for all of the past 5 years, only a BCII check needs to be done. If they lived outside of Ohio during the past 5 years a BCII and FBI check needs to be done. As a recipient of services you are not allowed to see the actual report unless you are the person’s employer. I would highly recommend that you ask the question of any individual or agency that serves you or your loved one the following question: “Have you been fingerprinted per State Law?”
Submitted by Jim Kummer – President at A Caring Choice, Inc.
Call Jim at (513) 574-4148 if you have any questions concerning State Mandated Laws for people providing services in your home.
At A Caring Choice, Inc. we get many calls that include the question “Are your services covered by Medicare?” The following is a brief overview of Medicare, Medicaid, and paying for non-medical “in-home” care services. There may be other ways to pay for in-home care, however, the most common are listed.
Medicare is a federal health insurance program for approximately 45 million elderly and disabled. It is run entirely by the federal government. It provides some payment for hospital stays, rehabilitation, skilled care, drugs, and limited non-medical.
Medicaid provides health care to 56 million poor Americans. The federal government sets broad rules and pays 57% of the expenses while states run the program and pay 43% of the expenses.
There are a few ways to pay for non-medical (non-skilled) care.
- Medicare covers a limited amount when the patient has doctor ordered skilled care. It is up to the doctor to determine what non-medical services are essential while the patient’s health is improving. These non-medical services must be provided by a Medicare certified company and usually accompany the provided skilled care.
- The Council on Aging (COA) has 2 programs that pay for all or portions of services. Passport is a program funded by Medicaid and ESP is a program funded by a voter approved tax levy. Services are provided by companies that are contracted by the COA.
- The Veteran’s Administration has programs for veterans and their spouses. Services that are covered can include: non-medical in-home care, hospice, respite, assisted living, geriatric assessments, and nursing home stays.
- Long Term Care Insurance policies often include provisions for covering portions of care. Each policy must be evaluated to determine the provided coverage
- Private Pay – Out of Pocket
Submitted by Jim Kummer – President at A Caring Choice, Inc.
Call Jim at (513) 574-4148 for more information on paying for medical or non-medical home care.
SOCIALIZED HEALTH INSURANCE
I read today that socialized medicine that would replace employer health insurance would level the playing field for hiring employees. I fully agree with this. As a non-medical agency owner, who pays higher than most wages, it is still difficult to compete with long term care facilities and hospitals who offer health insurance. Most employees of non-medical agencies are classified as part time; this makes the logistics of offering health insurance very difficult. I think socialized insurance, as far as hiring good people, would help the non-medical agencies and make it tougher for the LTC’s and Hospitals.
Submitted by Jim Kummer – President at A Caring Choice, Inc.
Call Jim at (513) 574-4148 if you or your loved ones need assistance.