Rule 5123-5-02 | Service and support administration certification standards.
(A) Purpose
This rule establishes minimum qualifications through certification standards that apply to persons, directly providing or supervising the provision of service and support administration, who are employed by county boards of developmental disabilities and entities under contract with county boards of developmental disabilities to provide or supervise the provision of service and support administration.
(B) Definitions
For the purposes of this rule, the following definitions apply:
(1) "Accredited college or university" means a college or university accredited by a national or regional association recognized by the secretary of the United States department of education or a foreign college or university of comparable standing.
(2) "Continuing professional education" means training approved by the department or a superintendent required for renewal of service and support administration certification.
(3) "County board" means a county board of developmental disabilities.
(4) "Department" means the Ohio department of developmental disabilities.
(5) "Service and support administration" has the same meaning as in rule 5123-4-02 of the Administrative Code.
(6) "Superintendent" means a person certified by the department in accordance with rule 5123-5-03 of the Administrative Code and employed in that capacity by a county board or for purposes of issuing certification and/or approving continuing professional education in accordance with this rule, a person who is authorized in writing by the superintendent to perform those functions.
(C) Description
There are two levels of service and support administration certification:
(1) Service and support administrator
(a) A superintendent may issue service and support administrator certification for an initial period of five years to an applicant who holds an associate's degree, bachelor's degree, or graduate-level degree from an accredited college or university. Pursuant to sections 5126.15 and 5126.201 of the Revised Code, a person holding an associate's degree will be a conditional status service and support administrator and perform the duties of service and support administration only under the supervision of a management employee who is a service and support administration supervisor.
(b) A superintendent will ensure that service and support administrators successfully complete, no later than ninety calendar days after hire, an orientation program of at least eight hours that addresses, but is not limited to:
(i) Organizational background of the county board or contracting entity, including:
(a) Mission, vision, values, and organizational structure;
(b) Policies, procedures, and work rules;
(c) Ethical and professional conduct and practice; and
(d) Avoiding conflicts of interest.
(ii) Components of quality care for individuals served, including:
(a) Interpersonal relationships and trust;
(b) Trauma-responsive care;
(c) Cultural and personal sensitivity;
(d) Effective communication;
(e) Roles and responsibilities of team members; and
(f) Record-keeping, including progress notes and incident/accident reports.
(iii) Health and safety, including:
(a) Signs and symptoms of illness or injury and procedure for response;
(b) Building/site-specific emergency response plans; and
(c) Program-specific transportation safety.
(iv) Requirements for development and implementation of behavioral support strategies in accordance with rule 5123-2-06 of the Administrative Code.
(v) Crisis intervention techniques.
(vi) Services that comprise service and support administration.
(c) A superintendent will ensure that service and support administrators successfully complete, no later than one year after hire, department-provided web-based training in:
(i) Empowering individuals served through development of person-centered individual service plans;
(ii) Coordinating services;
(iii) Enhancing team effectiveness;
(iv) Understanding medicaid;
(v) Overview of department-administered home and community-based services waivers including self-directed services, budget authority, and employer authority;
(vi) Targeted case management; and
(vii) Employment navigation.
(d) A superintendent will ensure that service and support administrators (other than those who have at least one year of experience as a service and support administrator at the point of hire) successfully complete, no later than one year after hire, training specific to the provision of service and support administration that includes, but is not limited to:
(i) Eligibility determination;
(ii) Establishing individual budgets;
(iii) Using Ohio individual service plan to conduct assessments and develop individual service plans;
(iv) Effective service coordination;
(v) Management of individuals' funds and related documentation requirements; and
(vi) Self-determination which includes assisting an individual to develop self-advocacy skills, to exercise civil rights, to exercise choice and control over the services received, and to acquire skills that support becoming more independent, productive, and integrated within the community.
(e) A superintendent may renew the service and support administrator certification for a second period of five years provided the applicant has successfully completed:
(i) The orientation program described in paragraph (C)(1)(b) of this rule;
(ii) The department-provided web-based training described in paragraph (C)(1)(c) of this rule;
(iii) Training specific to the provision of service and support administration described in paragraph (C)(1)(d) of this rule; and
(iv) At least sixty hours of continuing professional education during the period of the initial service and support administrator certification. The training described in paragraphs (C)(1)(b), (C)(1)(c), (C)(1)(d), and (D) of this rule may be counted toward the sixty hours.
(f) A superintendent may renew the service and support administrator certification for subsequent periods of five years provided the applicant has successfully completed:
(i) The department-provided web-based training described in paragraph (C)(1)(c) of this rule prior to application to renew the service and support administrator certification; and
(ii) At least sixty hours of continuing professional education during the period of the preceding service and support administrator certification. The training described in paragraphs (C)(1)(c) and (D) of this rule may be counted toward the sixty hours.
(2) Service and support administration supervisor
(a) A superintendent may issue service and support administration supervisor certification for an initial period of five years to an applicant who:
(i) Holds a bachelor's degree or graduate-level degree from an accredited college or university; and
(ii) Has at least four years of full-time (or equivalent part-time), supervised, paid work experience in programs or services for individuals with developmental disabilities.
(b) A superintendent will ensure that service and support administration supervisors successfully complete, no later than ninety calendar days after hire, the orientation program described in paragraph (C)(1)(b) of this rule.
(c) A superintendent will ensure that service and support administration supervisors successfully complete, no later than one year after hire, the department-provided web-based training described in paragraph (C)(1)(c) of this rule.
(d) A superintendent will ensure that service and support administration supervisors (other than those who have at least one year of experience as a service and support administration supervisor at the point of hire) successfully complete, no later than one year after hire, training specific to the supervision of service and support administration that includes, but is not limited to, the topics set forth in paragraph (C)(1)(d) of this rule.
(e) A superintendent may renew the service and support administration supervisor certification for a second period of five years provided the applicant has successfully completed:
(i) The orientation program described in paragraph (C)(1)(b) of this rule;
(ii) The department-provided web-based training described in paragraph (C)(1)(c) of this rule;
(iii) Training specific to the supervision of service and support administration described in paragraph (C)(2)(d) of this rule; and
(iv) At least seventy-five hours of continuing professional education during the period of the initial service and support administration supervisor certification. The training described in paragraphs (C)(2)(b), (C)(2)(c), (C)(2)(d), and (D) of this rule may be counted toward the seventy-five hours.
(f) A superintendent may renew the service and support administration supervisor certification for subsequent periods of five years provided the applicant has successfully completed:
(i) The department-provided web-based training described in paragraph (C)(1)(c) of this rule prior to application to renew the service and support administration supervisor certification; and
(ii) At least seventy-five hours of continuing professional education during the period of the preceding service and support administration supervisor certification. The training described in paragraphs (C)(1)(c) and (D) of this rule may be counted toward the seventy-five hours.
(D) Annual training requirements
A superintendent will ensure that service and support administrators and service and support administration supervisors annually complete training, in accordance with standards established by the department, in:
(1) The rights of individuals set forth in section 5123.62 of the Revised Code; and
(2) The requirements of rule 5123-17-02 of the Administrative Code including a review of health and welfare alerts issued by the department since the previous year's training.
(E) Application fees
A superintendent may compel applicants for service and support administration certification to pay an application fee.
(1) The application fee for service and support administrator certification will not exceed fifty dollars.
(2) The application fee for service and support administration supervisor certification will not exceed seventy-five dollars.
(F) Reciprocity
(1) A superintendent will accept as valid service and support administration certification issued in accordance with this rule by the superintendent of another county board.
(2) A superintendent will accept as valid continuing professional education approved by the department or the superintendent of another county board in accordance with this rule.
(G) Renewal of expired service and support administration certification
(1) Service and support administration certification which has been expired for less than one year may be renewed upon completion of all renewal requirements of the expired certification.
(2) Service and support administration certification which has been expired for one year or more will not be renewed; the applicant will be required to meet the requirements for initial service and support administrator certification or service and support administration supervisor certification, as applicable, pursuant to paragraph (C) of this rule.
(H) Administrative review
An applicant for service and support administration certification whose application is disapproved based upon the applicant's failure to meet the requirements of this rule, may request in writing, within thirty calendar days of the rejection, an administrative review by the superintendent or the superintendent's designee.
(I) Denial, suspension, or revocation
Service and support administration certification is subject to denial, suspension, or revocation in accordance with rule 5123-5-04 of the Administrative Code.
Last updated June 5, 2023 at 8:34 AM
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