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Ohio Laws and Rules
Chapter 5121: WELFARE INSTITUTIONS - GENERALLY
As used in sections 5121.01 to 5121.21 of the Revised Code:
(A) "Resident" means a person admitted to an institution or other facility pursuant to Chapter 5123. of the Revised Code who is under observation or receiving habilitation and care.
(B) "Applicable cost" means the rate for support applicable to a resident as specified in this section.
The cost for support of residents in institutions under the jurisdiction of the department of developmental disabilities, and of residents in private facilities or homes whose care or treatment is being paid for by the department, shall be based on the average per capita cost of the care and treatment of the residents. The cost of services for residents shall be computed using the projected average daily per capita cost at the institution, or at the discretion of the department, the subunit thereof in which services are provided. Such costs shall be computed at least annually for the next prospective period using generally accepted governmental accounting principles. The cost of services for residents that are being cared for and maintained in a private facility or home under the supervision of the department and for which a purchase of services contract is being paid to the private facility or home by the department shall not be more than the per diem cost of the contract. The cost of services for a resident receiving pre-admission care, after-care, day-care, or routine consultation and treatment services in a community service unit under the jurisdiction of the department shall be computed on the basis of the average cost of such services at the institution at which they are provided.
The department shall annually determine the ability to pay of a resident or the resident's liable relatives and the amount that such person shall pay in accordance with section 5121.04 of the Revised Code.
Collections of support payments shall be made by the department and, subject to meeting prior requirements for payment and crediting of such collections and other available receipts, in accordance with the bond proceedings applicable to obligations issued pursuant to section 154.20 of the Revised Code, such collections and other available receipts designated by the director of developmental disabilities for deposit in the special accounts, together with insurance contract payments provided for in division (B)(8) of section 5121.04 of the Revised Code, shall be remitted to the treasurer of state for deposit in the state treasury to the credit of the developmental disabilities operating fund, which is hereby created, to be used for the general purposes of the department. The department shall make refunds of overpayment of support charges from the developmental disabilities operating fund.
Amended by 128th General Assemblych.29, SB 79, §1, eff. 10/6/2009.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006 .
All individuals admitted to a state institution operated by the department of developmental disabilities under section 5123.03 of the Revised Code shall be maintained at the expense of the state. Their traveling and incidental expenses in conveying them to the state institution shall be paid by the county of commitment. Upon admission, the individuals shall be neatly and comfortably clothed. Thereafter, the expense of necessary clothing shall be borne by the responsible relatives or guardian if they are financially able. If not furnished, the state shall bear the expense. Any required traveling expense after admission to the state institution shall be borne by the state if the responsible relatives or guardian are unable to do so.
Amended by 128th General Assemblych.29, SB 79, §1, eff. 10/6/2009.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006 .
When any person is committed to an institution under the jurisdiction of the department of developmental disabilities pursuant to judicial proceedings, the judge ordering such commitment shall:
(A) Make a reliable report on the financial condition of such person and of each of the relatives of the person who are liable for the person's support, as provided in section 5121.06 of the Revised Code and rules and procedures adopted by the director of developmental disabilities;
(B) Certify to the managing officer of such institution, and the managing officer shall thereupon enter upon the managing officer's records the name and address of any guardian appointed and of any relative liable for such person's support under section 5121.06 of the Revised Code.
Amended by 128th General Assemblych.29, SB 79, §1, eff. 10/6/2009.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006 .
(A) The department of developmental disabilities shall investigate the financial condition of the residents in institutions, residents whose care or treatment is being paid for in a private facility or home under the control of the department, and of the relatives named in section 5121.06 of the Revised Code as liable for the support of such residents, in order to determine the ability of any resident or liable relatives to pay for the support of the resident and to provide suitable clothing as required by the superintendent of the institution.
(B) The department shall follow the provisions of this division in determining the ability to pay of a resident or the resident's liable relatives and the amount to be charged such resident or liable relatives.
(1) Subject to divisions (B)(10) and (11) of this section, a resident without dependents shall be liable for the full applicable cost. A resident without dependents who has a gross annual income equal to or exceeding the sum of the full applicable cost, plus fifty dollars per month, regardless of the source of such income, shall pay currently the full amount of the applicable cost; if the resident's gross annual income is less than such sum, not more than fifty dollars per month shall be kept for personal use by or on behalf of the resident, except as permitted in the state plan for providing medical assistance under Title XIX of the "Social Security Act," 49 Stat. 620 (1935), 42 U.S.C. 301, as amended, and the balance shall be paid currently on the resident's support. Subject to divisions (B) (10) and (11) of this section, the estate of a resident without dependents shall pay currently any remaining difference between the applicable cost and the amounts prescribed in this section, or shall execute an agreement with the department for payment to be made at some future date under terms suitable to the department. However, no security interest, mortgage, or lien shall be taken, granted, or charged against any principal residence of a resident without dependents under an agreement or otherwise to secure support payments, and no foreclosure actions shall be taken on security interests, mortgages, or liens taken, granted, or charged against principal residences of residents prior to October 7, 1977.
(2) The ability to pay of a resident with dependents, or of a liable relative of a resident either with or without dependents, shall be determined in accordance with the resident's or liable relative's income or other assets, the needs of others who are dependent on such income and other assets for support, and, if applicable, divisions (B)(10) and (11) of this section.
For the first thirty days of care and treatment of each admission, but in no event for more than thirty days in any calendar year, the resident with dependents or the liable relative of a resident either with or without dependents shall be charged an amount equal to the percentage of the average applicable cost determined in accordance with the schedule of adjusted gross annual income contained after this paragraph. After such first thirty days of care and treatment, such resident or such liable relative shall be charged an amount equal to the percentage of a base support rate of four dollars per day for residents, as determined in accordance with the schedule of gross annual income contained after this paragraph, or in accordance with division (B)(5) of this section. Beginning January 1, 1978, the department shall increase the base rate when the consumer price index average is more than 4.0 for the preceding calendar year by not more than the average for such calendar year.
Adjusted Gross Annual Income of Resident or Liable Relative (FN a) |
Number of Dependents (FN b) |
|||||||
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 or more |
|
Rate of Support (In Percentages) |
||||||||
$15,000 or less-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
15,001 to 17,500 |
20 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
17,501 to 20,000 |
25 |
20 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
20,001 to 21,000 |
30 |
25 |
20 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
21,001 to 22,000 |
35 |
30 |
25 |
20 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
22,001 to 23,000 |
40 |
35 |
30 |
25 |
20 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
23,001 to 24,000 |
45 |
40 |
35 |
30 |
25 |
20 |
-- |
-- |
24,001 to 25,000 |
50 |
45 |
40 |
35 |
30 |
25 |
20 |
-- |
25,001 to 26,000 |
55 |
50 |
45 |
40 |
35 |
30 |
25 |
20 |
26,001 to 27,000 |
60 |
55 |
50 |
45 |
40 |
35 |
30 |
25 |
27,001 to 28,000 |
70 |
60 |
55 |
50 |
45 |
40 |
35 |
30 |
28,001 to 30,000 |
80 |
70 |
60 |
55 |
50 |
45 |
40 |
35 |
30,001 to 40,000 |
90 |
80 |
70 |
60 |
55 |
50 |
45 |
40 |
40,001 and over |
100 |
90 |
80 |
70 |
60 |
55 |
50 |
45 |
Footnote a. The resident or relative shall furnish a copy of the resident's or relative's federal income tax return as evidence of gross annual income.
Footnote b. The number of dependents includes the liable relative but excludes a resident in an institution. "Dependent" includes any person who receives more than half the person's support from the resident or the resident's liable relative.
(3) A resident or liable relative having medical, funeral, or related expenses in excess of four per cent of the adjusted gross annual income, which expenses were not covered by insurance, may adjust such gross annual income by reducing the adjusted gross annual income by the full amount of such expenses. Proof of such expenses satisfactory to the department must be furnished.
(4) Additional dependencies may be claimed if:
(a) The liable relative is blind;
(b) The liable relative is over sixty-five;
(c) A child is a college student with expenses in excess of fifty dollars per month;
(d) The services of a housekeeper, costing in excess of fifty dollars per month, are required if the person who normally keeps house for minor children is the resident.
(5) If with respect to any resident with dependents there is chargeable under division (B)(2) of this section less than fifty per cent of the applicable cost or, if the base support rate was used, less than fifty per cent of the amount determined by use of the base support rate, and if with respect to such resident there is a liable relative who has an estate having a value in excess of fifteen thousand dollars or if such resident has a dependent and an estate having a value in excess of fifteen thousand dollars, there shall be paid with respect to such resident a total of fifty per cent of the applicable cost or the base support rate amount, as the case may be, on a current basis or there shall be executed with respect to such resident an agreement with the department for payment to be made at some future date under terms suitable to the department.
(6) When a person has been a resident for fifteen years and the support charges for which a relative is liable have been paid for the fifteen-year period, the liable relative shall be relieved of any further support charges.
(7) The department shall accept voluntary payments from residents or liable relatives whose incomes are below the minimum shown in the schedule set forth in this division. The department also shall accept voluntary payments in excess of required amounts from both liable and nonliable relatives.
(8) If a resident is covered by an insurance policy, or other contract that provides for payment of expenses for care and treatment for a developmental disability at or from an institution or facility (including a community service unit under the jurisdiction of the department), the other provisions of this section, except divisions (B)(8), (10), and (11) of this section, and of section 5121.01 of the Revised Code shall be suspended to the extent that such insurance policy or other contract is in force, and such resident shall be charged the full amount of the applicable cost. Any insurance carrier or other third party payor providing coverage for such care and treatment shall pay for this support obligation in an amount equal to the lesser of either the applicable cost or the benefits provided under the policy or other contract. Whether or not an insured, owner of, or other person having an interest in such policy or other contract is liable for support payments under other provisions of this chapter, the insured, policy owner, or other person shall assign payment directly to the department of all assignable benefits under the policy or other contract and shall pay over to the department, within ten days of receipt, all insurance or other benefits received as reimbursement or payment for expenses incurred by the resident or for any other reason. If the insured, policy owner, or other person refuses to assign such payment to the department or refuses to pay such received reimbursements or payments over to the department within ten days of receipt, the insured's, policy owners', or other person's total liability for the services equals the applicable statutory liability for payment for the services as determined under other provisions of this chapter, plus the amounts payable under the terms of the policy or other contract. In no event shall this total liability exceed the full amount of the applicable cost. Upon its request, the department is entitled to a court order that compels the insured, owner of, or other person having an interest in the policy or other contract to comply with the assignment requirements of this division or that itself serves as a legally sufficient assignment in compliance with such requirements. Notwithstanding section 5123.89 of the Revised Code and any other law relating to confidentiality of records, the managing officer of the institution or facility where a person is or has been a resident shall disclose pertinent medical information concerning the resident to the insurance carrier or other third party payor in question, in order to effect collection from the carrier or payor of the state's claim for care and treatment under this division. For such disclosure, the managing officer is not subject to any civil or criminal liability.
(9) The rate to be charged for pre-admission care, after-care, day-care, or routine consultation and treatment services shall be based upon the ability of the resident or the resident's liable relatives to pay. When it is determined by the department that a charge shall be made, such charge shall be computed as provided in divisions (B)(1) and (2) of this section.
(10) If a resident with or without dependents is the beneficiary of a trust created pursuant to section 5815.28 of the Revised Code, then, notwithstanding any contrary provision of this chapter or of a rule adopted pursuant to this chapter, divisions (C) and (D) of that section shall apply in determining the assets or resources of the resident, the resident's estate, the settlor, or the settlor's estate and to claims arising under this chapter against the resident, the resident's estate, the settlor, or the settlor's estate.
(11) If the department waives the liability of an individual and the individual's liable relatives pursuant to section 5123.194 of the Revised Code, the liability of the individual and relative ceases in accordance with the waiver's terms.
(C) The department may enter into agreements with a resident or a liable relative for support payments to be made in the future. However, no security interest, mortgage, or lien shall be taken, granted, or charged against any principal family residence of a resident with dependents or a liable relative under an agreement or otherwise to secure support payments, and no foreclosure actions shall be taken on security interests, mortgages or liens taken, granted, or charged against principal residences of residents or liable relatives prior to October 7, 1977.
(D) The department shall make all investigations and determinations required by this section within ninety days after a resident is admitted to an institution under the department's control and immediately shall notify by mail the persons liable of the amount to be charged.
(E) All actions to enforce the collection of payments agreed upon or charged by the department shall be commenced within six years after the date of default of an agreement to pay support charges or the date such payment becomes delinquent. If a payment is made pursuant to an agreement which is in default, a new six-year period for actions to enforce the collection of payments under such agreement shall be computed from the date of such payment. For purposes of this division an agreement is in default or a payment is delinquent if a payment is not made within thirty days after it is incurred or a payment, pursuant to an agreement, is not made within thirty days after the date specified for such payment. In all actions to enforce the collection of payment for the liability for support, every court of record shall receive into evidence the proof of claim made by the state together with all debts and credits, and it shall be prima-facie evidence of the facts contained in it.
Amended by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 158, §1, eff. 10/12/2016.
Amended by 128th General Assemblych.29, SB 79, §1, eff. 10/6/2009.
Effective Date: 10-26-2001; 01-01-2006; 01-01-2007
The department of developmental disabilities may subpoena witnesses, take testimony under oath, and examine any public records relating to the income and other assets of a resident or liable relative. All information, conclusions, and recommendations shall be submitted to the department by the investigating agent of the department. The department shall determine the amount of support to be paid, by whom, and whether clothing shall be furnished by the relatives or guardian.
Amended by 128th General Assemblych.29, SB 79, §1, eff. 10/6/2009.
Effective Date: 04-09-1981; 01-01-2006
All outstanding liability of relatives for the support of any patient or resident in a benevolent institution under the control of the department of mental health and addiction services or the department of developmental disabilities accrued prior to January 1, 1956, including the liability of the patient personally, is hereby canceled, provided that this section does not abrogate any written agreements or security arrangement for the payment of support charges entered into between the state and any patient or liable relative prior to such date.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Amended by 128th General Assemblych.29, SB 79, §1, eff. 10/6/2009.
Effective Date: 04-09-1981 .
(A) The following persons other than the resident or the resident's estate are liable relatives and all the following persons are jointly and severally liable for the support of a resident in an institution under the control of the department of developmental disabilities:
(1) The resident or the resident's estate;
(2) The resident's spouse;
(3) The father or mother, or both, of a minor resident under the age of eighteen years.
(B) The department shall determine, pursuant to section 5121.04 of the Revised Code, the amount to be charged each resident and liable relative in the order named in this section, but shall not collect from any person more than one hundred per cent of the applicable cost.
(C) An action to collect delinquent payments or to enforce agreements in default may be brought against any or all persons named in this section. To the extent parents of adult residents, pursuant to the language of this section previously in force, incurred charges for the support of such residents between the eighteenth birthday of such resident and July 1, 1975, their liability for such period may be canceled, compromised, or settled as provided in section 5121.07 of the Revised Code.
(D) Irrespective of the number of residents whose care might be chargeable against a liable relative, no individual liable relative nor group of liable relatives who are members of the same family unit shall be charged with the support of more than one resident during the same period of time, and different periods of time for which such liable relative has paid the charges for such different residents' care and support shall be added together for the purpose of completing the maximum fifteen-year period of liability of such liable relative under division (B)(6) of section 5121.04 of the Revised Code.
Amended by 128th General Assemblych.29, SB 79, §1, eff. 10/6/2009.
Effective Date: 09-29-1999; 01-01-2006
The authority of the department of developmental disabilities to modify support charges pursuant to section 5121.04 of the Revised Code shall not be exercised until the resident or liable relative has petitioned the department for modification as provided in section 5121.07 of the Revised Code and has offered to the department satisfactory proof of the resident's or liable relative's earnings and assets. The department may modify the charges if its investigation warrants such modification.
Amended by 128th General Assemblych.29, SB 79, §1, eff. 10/6/2009.
Effective Date: 04-09-1981; 01-01-2006
Any person who has been charged with the payment of the support of a resident or for pre-admission care, after-care, day-care, or routine consultation and treatment services in a community service unit under the control of the department of developmental disabilities may petition the department for a release from, or modification of, such charge, and the department, after an investigation, may cancel or modify such former charge, or may cancel, compromise, or settle any accrued liability in an amount not exceeding five thousand dollars. Amounts in excess thereof may be canceled, compromised, or settled as provided in section 131.02 of the Revised Code. The department may for due cause increase the amount previously ordered paid.
Amended by 128th General Assemblych.29, SB 79, §1, eff. 10/6/2009.
Effective Date: 09-29-1999; 01-01-2006
The managing officers of the institutions under the control of the department of developmental disabilities and the committing court, if requested, shall submit to the department such information as they may obtain concerning the financial condition of any resident or of relatives liable for the resident's support.
Amended by 128th General Assemblych.29, SB 79, §1, eff. 10/6/2009.
Effective Date: 09-29-1999; 01-01-2006
In case the estate of any resident in an institution under the jurisdiction of the department of developmental disabilities is sufficient for the resident's support, without hardship to any others who may be dependent thereon, and no guardian has been appointed for such estate, the agent of the department shall petition the probate court of the proper county to appoint a guardian.
Amended by 128th General Assemblych.29, SB 79, §1, eff. 10/6/2009.
Effective Date: 09-29-1999; 01-01-2006
Upon the death of a resident or former resident of any institution under the jurisdiction of the department of developmental disabilities, or upon the death of a person responsible under section 5121.06 of the Revised Code for the support of a resident, the department may waive the presentation of any claim for support against the estate of such decedent, when in its judgment an otherwise dependent person will be directly benefited by the estate. Claims against an estate for support of a resident are subject to section 5815.28 and Chapter 2117. of the Revised Code, and shall be treated, and may be barred, the same as the claims of other creditors of the estate, pursuant to that section or chapter.
The department may accept from a guardian or trustee of a resident a contract agreeing to pay to the state from the property of the guardian's or trustee's ward before or at the death of the ward a fixed annual amount for the support of the ward while the ward is a resident, with interest at four per cent per annum. A copy of the contract shall be filed in the probate court of the proper county and duly entered as a part of the records concerning the ward.
Amended by 128th General Assemblych.29, SB 79, §1, eff. 10/6/2009.
Effective Date: 09-29-1999; 01-01-2006; 01-01-2007
The state shall bear the expense of the burial or cremation of an indigent resident who dies in a state institution operated by the department of developmental disabilities under section 5123.03 of the Revised Code or in a state correctional institution if the body is not claimed for interment or cremation at the expense of friends or relatives or is not delivered for anatomical purposes or for the study of embalming in accordance with section 1713.34 of the Revised Code. The managing officer of the institution shall provide at the grave of the person or, if the person's cremated remains are buried, at the grave of the person's cremated remains, a metal, stone, or concrete marker on which shall be inscribed the name and age of the person and the date of death.
Amended by 128th General Assemblych.29, SB 79, §1, eff. 10/6/2009.
Effective Date: 08-05-1998; 01-01-2006
The support and maintenance of residents confined in state institutions operated by the department of developmental disabilities under section 5123.03 of the Revised Code, including those transferred to them from state correctional institutions, and also including persons under indictment or conviction for crime, shall be collected and paid in accordance with sections 5121.01 to 5121.21 of the Revised Code.
Amended by 128th General Assemblych.29, SB 79, §1, eff. 10/6/2009.
Effective Date: 10-06-1994; 01-01-2006
Effective Date: 07-01-1980.
Effective Date: 07-01-1980.
Effective Date: 07-01-1980.
Effective Date: 07-22-1974.
Effective Date: 07-01-1980.
Effective Date: 07-01-1980.
Claims due a benevolent institution may be sued for in the name of the institution.
Effective Date: 10-01-1953.
If payment of any amount due the state under the provisions of Chapter 5121. of the Revised Code is made on account of a resident by any liable relative, as defined in division (A) of section 5121.06 of the Revised Code, such relative may recover the following amounts from the following persons; provided, that in no event may such relative recover in total more than such relative has paid the state, and provided, that in no event is the person from whom recovery is sought obliged to pay at a rate of support higher than such person would have paid had the state proceeded directly against such person:
(A) Any liable person may recover from the resident, the resident's guardian, or from the executor or administrator of the resident's estate the full amount of payment made by such liable relative.
(B) Any liable relative may recover from the resident's spouse the full amount of payment made by such liable relative.
(C) A minor resident's mother may recover from such minor resident's father one-half of the amount of payment made by such mother.
(D) Any liable relative, other than the resident's spouse and other than a minor resident's parent, may recover from such resident's adult sons and daughters as are liable under division (A)(4) of section 5121.06 of the Revised Code, the full amount of payment made by such liable relative; provided, that there may be recovered from each such son or daughter only such proportion of the total payment as the figure one bears to the total number of such adult sons and daughters.
(E) An adult resident's mother may recover from an adult resident's father one-half of the amount of payment made by such mother.
Effective Date: 04-09-1981; 01-01-2006.
As used in sections 5121.30 to 5121.56 of the Revised Code:
(A) "Countable assets" means all of the following:
(1) Cash;
(2) Bank deposits;
(3) Securities;
(4) Individual retirement accounts;
(5) Qualified employer plans, including 401(k) and Keogh plans;
(6) Annuities;
(7) Funds in a trust created under section 5815.28 of the Revised Code;
(8) Investment property and income;
(9) The cash surrender values of life insurance policies;
(10) Assets acquired by gift, bequest, devise, or inheritance;
(11) Any other asset determined by the department of mental health and addiction services to be equivalent to the assets enumerated in this division.
(B) "Federal poverty level" or "FPL" means the income level represented by the poverty guidelines as revised annually by the United States department of health and human services in accordance with section 673(2) of the "Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1981," 95 Stat. 511, 42 U.S.C. 9902, as amended, for a family size equal to the size of the family of the person whose income is being determined.
(C) "Federal poverty guidelines" means the poverty guidelines as revised annually by the United States department of health and human services in accordance with section 673(2) of the "Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981," 95 Stat. 511, 42 U.S.C. 9902, as amended, for a family size equal to the size of the family of the person whose income is being determined.
(D) "Hospital" means an institution, hospital, or other place established, controlled, or supervised by the department of mental health and addiction services under Chapter 5119. of the Revised Code.
(E) "Liable relative" means all of the following:
(1) A patient's spouse;
(2) A patient's mother or father, or both, if the patient is under eighteen years of age;
(3) A patient's guardian.
(F) "Patient" means a person admitted to a hospital for inpatient care or treatment, including a person transferred to a hospital from a state correctional institution or a person under indictment or conviction who has been transferred to a hospital.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006; 01-01-2007
All patients shall be maintained at the expense of the state. The traveling and incidental expenses in conveying them to a hospital shall be paid by the county of commitment. On admission, patients shall be neatly and comfortably clothed. Thereafter, the expense of necessary clothing shall be borne by the responsible relatives or guardian if they are financially able. If not furnished, the state shall bear the expense. Any required traveling expense after admission to the hospital shall be borne by the state if the responsible relatives or guardian is unable to do so.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006.
On an annual basis, the department of mental health and addiction services shall determine both of the following using generally accepted governmental accounting principles:
(A) The applicable per diem charge for each hospital operated by the department;
(B) The ancillary per diem rate for each hospital operated by the department.
In determining a hospital's applicable per diem charge and ancillary per diem rate, the department shall consider the average actual per diem cost of maintaining and treating a patient at the hospital or, at the department's discretion, the average actual per diem cost of maintaining and treating a patient in a unit of the hospital.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006 .
Except as provided in sections 5121.35, 5121.43, 5121.46, 5121.47, 5121.49, and 5121.52 of the Revised Code, the department of mental health and addiction services shall, for each billing cycle, charge a patient, patient's estate, or liable relative an amount equal to the sum of the following:
(A) The applicable per diem charge multiplied by the number of days the patient was admitted to the hospital;
(B) An amount that was previously billed but not paid.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006 .
(A) A patient, patient's estate, and patient's liable relatives shall be jointly and severally liable for amounts charged by the department of mental health and addiction services in accordance with section 5121.33 or 5121.35 of the Revised Code. In no case shall any of the foregoing persons be liable for more than one hundred per cent of the full sum charged under section 5121.33 of the Revised Code.
(B) Collections of support payments shall be made by the department and, subject to meeting prior requirements for payment and crediting of such collections and other available receipts, in accordance with the bond proceedings applicable to obligations issued pursuant to section 154.20 of the Revised Code. The collections and other available receipts designated by the director of mental health and addiction services for deposit in the special accounts, together with insurance contract payments provided for in section 5121.43 of the Revised Code, shall be remitted to the treasurer of state for deposit in the state treasury to the credit of the mental health operating fund, which is hereby created, to be used for the general purposes of the department. The department shall make refunds of overpayment of support charges from the mental health operating fund.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006 .
The department of mental health and addiction services shall charge a patient, patient's estate, or liable relative an amount discounted from the amount the department charges under section 5121.33 of the Revised Code if the department determines through the application process described in section 5121.36 of the Revised Code or through the financial assessment process described in section 5121.37 of the Revised Code that the patient, estate, or relative is eligible for a discount.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006 .
(A) A patient, patient's estate, or liable relative may apply for a discount by completing an application form prescribed by the director of mental health and addiction services. The department of mental health and addiction services may require a patient, estate, or relative to furnish any of the following with an application form:
(1) A copy of the patient's, estate's, or liable relative's federal income tax return for the year preceding the date of application or, if that is not yet available, the preceding year;
(2) A copy of the patient's, estate's, or liable relative's employee tax withholding return (form W-2) for the year preceding the date of application;
(3) Any other relevant documents prescribed by the director of mental health and addiction services.
(B) To be considered, an application must be submitted to the department not later than ninety days after the date the patient is admitted to a hospital.
(C) From the information provided by a patient, estate, or relative, the department shall determine whether the department will charge the person a discounted amount in accordance with sections 5121.40 and 5121.41 of the Revised Code. In making this determination, the department shall consider whether the patient is covered by an insurance policy or other contract that provides for payment of expenses and treatment for mental illness. If the department determines that the patient has coverage, the department shall require payment in accordance with section 5121.43 of the Revised Code.
(D) The department shall notify the patient, executor or administrator of the patient's estate, or liable relative who submitted the application form in writing regarding whether that person will be charged a discounted amount and the per diem rate to be charged.
(E) In accordance with section 5121.42 of the Revised Code, the department may, at any time, modify an amount charged or change the per diem rate to be charged if the department learns of countable assets or income that was not previously disclosed or was acquired after the application form was submitted. Within a reasonable time, the department shall notify in writing any person affected by a modification or change.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006 .
After a patient's admittance to a hospital, the department of mental health and addiction services shall conduct a financial assessment to determine whether the patient, patient's estate, or liable relative will be charged an amount discounted from the amount the department charges under section 5121.33 of the Revised Code. The department shall make the determination in accordance with sections 5121.40 and 5121.41 of the Revised Code.
If a discounted rate is to be charged, the department shall notify the person whose financial condition was assessed. The notice shall specify the per diem rate to be charged.
In accordance with section 5121.42 of the Revised Code, the department may, at any time, modify an amount charged or change the per diem rate to be charged if the department learns of countable assets or income that was not previously disclosed or was acquired after the assessment was conducted. Within a reasonable time, the department shall notify in writing any person affected by a modification or change.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006 .
The department of mental health and addiction services may subpoena witnesses, take testimony under oath, and examine any public records relating to the income and other assets of a patient or of a relative liable for such patient's support. All information, conclusions, and recommendations shall be submitted to the department by the investigating agent of the department.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006 .
(A) A patient, patient's estate, or liable relative may be eligible to be charged an amount discounted from the amount the department of mental health and addiction services charges under section 5121.33 of the Revised Code if the patient, estate, or relative has countable assets with a total value that is not greater than an amount equal to fifty per cent of the difference between the following:
(1) The gross annual income that corresponds with a family size of two persons at one hundred per cent of the federal poverty level for the state;
(2) The gross annual income that corresponds with a family size of one person at one hundred per cent of the federal poverty level for the state. For purposes of determining family size, the patient is one dependent. One additional dependent shall be included for each of the following circumstances and persons:
(a) The patient or liable relative is legally blind or deaf.
(b) The patient or liable relative is sixty-five years of age or older.
(c) Each child under eighteen years of age for which the patient or liable relative has legal custody;
(d) The patient's or liable relative's spouse.
(B) A patient, estate, or relative may, not later than ninety days after the patient's admission to a hospital, surrender the value of countable assets sufficient to reduce countable assets to not more than the limit described in division (A) of this section.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006 .
(A) If the assets of a patient, patient's estate, or liable relative do not exceed the countable asset limit in section 5121.40 of the Revised Code and the annual income of the patient, estate, or relative does not exceed four hundred per cent of the federal poverty level, the patient, estate, or relative shall be charged an amount discounted from the amount the department charges under section 5121.33 of the Revised Code for the first thirty days the patient is admitted as an inpatient in a hospital and for which the patient is liable for the cost of care. The amount of the discount shall be computed according to the following schedule:
Annual Gross Income Expressed as a Percentage of FPL
Inpatient Days at a Hospital
0 - 175 176 - 199 200 - 249 250 - 299 300 - 349 400
Percentage discount from charged amount
1 - 14 100 90 70 50 30 10
15 - 30 100 95 75 55 35 15
(B) A patient, estate, or relative who is charged a discounted amount for the first thirty days the patient is admitted as an inpatient and who has an annual income not greater than one hundred seventy-five per cent of the federal poverty level shall not be charged for the days the patient is admitted beyond the thirtieth day.
(C) A patient, estate, or relative who is charged a discounted amount for the first thirty days the patient is admitted as an inpatient and who has an annual income greater than one hundred seventy-five per cent of the federal poverty level shall be charged an amount equal to the sum of the following for the days the patient is admitted beyond the thirtieth day:
(1) The ancillary per diem rate multiplied by the number of days the patient was admitted to the hospital;
(2) An amount that was previously charged but not paid.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006.
(A) Except as provided in division (B) of this section, a patient, patient's estate, or liable relative shall cease to be eligible for a discount under section 5121.36 or 5121.37 of the Revised Code on accumulation of countable assets in excess of an amount equal to fifty per cent of the difference between the following:
(1) The gross annual income that corresponds with a family size of two persons at one hundred per cent of the federal poverty level for the state;
(2) The gross annual income that corresponds with a family size of one person at one hundred per cent of the federal poverty level for the state.
(B) Money needed to meet the patient's needs and burial fund as determined by a needs assessment conducted by the department of mental health and addiction services pursuant to rules adopted under section 5119.10 of the Revised Code shall be excluded from any determination the department makes under division (A) of this section.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006 .
If a patient is covered by an insurance policy or other contract that provides for payment of expenses for care and treatment for mental illness at or from a hospital under the jurisdiction of the department of mental health and addiction services, sections 5121.33 to 5121.55 of the Revised Code are inapplicable to the extent that the policy or contract is in force. Any insurance carrier or other third party payor providing coverage for such care and treatment shall pay for the patient's support obligation in amounts equal to the lesser of amounts charged by the department under section 5121.33 of the Revised Code or the benefits provided under the policy or other contract. Whether or not an insured, owner of, or other person having an interest in such policy or other contract is liable for support payments, the insured, policy owner, or other person shall assign payment directly to the department of all assignable benefits under the policy or other contract and shall pay to the department, within ten days of receipt, all insurance or other benefits received as reimbursement or payment for expenses incurred by the patient or for any other reason. If the insured, policy owner, or other person refuses to assign payment to the department or refuses to pay received reimbursements or payments to the department within ten days of receipt, the total liability of the insured, policy owner, or other person for the services is an amount equal to the per diem charge for the hospital where the patient was admitted multiplied by the number of days the patient was admitted.
In no event shall this total liability exceed the department's actual cost of providing care and treatment to a patient. The department may disqualify patients and liable relatives who have retained third party funds from future discounts. The department may request that the attorney general petition a court of competent jurisdiction to compel the insured, owner of, or other person having an interest in the policy or contract to comply with the assignment requirements in this section.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006 .
The department of mental health and addiction services may enter into an extended payment agreement with a patient, patient's estate, or liable relative who has notified the department that the patient, estate, or relative cannot reasonably pay an amount the department has charged. In no case shall the department take a security interest, mortgage, or lien against the principal family residence of a patient or liable relative.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006 .
(A) For purposes of this section, "delinquent payment" means an amount owed by a patient, patient's estate, or liable relative to the department of mental health and addiction services for which the person has failed to do either of the following not later than ninety days after the service associated with the charge was incurred:
(1) Make payment in full;
(2) Make a payment in accordance with the terms of an agreement entered into under section 5121.44 of the Revised Code.
(B) An action to enforce the collection of a delinquent payment shall be commenced not later than six years after the later of the following:
(1) The last date the department received money to satisfy the delinquent payment;
(2) The date the charge was due.
(C) In all actions to enforce the collection of delinquent payments, a court of record shall receive into evidence the proof of claim document made by the state together with all debts and credits. The proof of claim document shall be prima-facie evidence of the facts stated in the document.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006 .
The department of mental health and addiction services shall not charge a liable relative under sections 5121.33 and 5121.35 of the Revised Code who has done either of the following:
(A) Paid all amounts charged by the department for the care and treatment of a particular patient for fifteen consecutive years;
(B) Paid amounts charged by the department for the care and treatment of more than one patient for a total of fifteen consecutive years.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006 .
Irrespective of the number of patients for which the department of mental health and addiction services may charge a liable relative under sections 5121.33 and 5121.35 of the Revised Code, the department shall not charge a liable relative or group of liable relatives who are members of the same family unit for the support of more than one patient during the same period of time.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006 .
The department shall accept voluntary payments from a patient, patient's estate, or liable relative in excess of a discounted amount charged in accordance with section 5121.35 of the Revised Code.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006.
(A) Any person who has been charged under section 5121.33 or 5121.35 of the Revised Code may petition the department of mental health and addiction services to do the following:
(1) Release the person from a charge;
(2) Modify or cancel a charge.
(B) The department shall respond to a petition in writing and inform the petitioner of whether a release, modification, or cancellation has been approved.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006 .
When a patient is committed to a hospital pursuant to judicial proceedings, the judge ordering the commitment shall:
(A) Make a reliable report on the financial condition of the patient and of each liable relative, as provided in rules adopted by the director of mental health and addiction services;
(B) Certify the report required under division (A) of this section to the managing officer of the hospital. The managing officer shall thereupon enter in the managing officer's records the name and address of any guardian appointed and of any relative liable for the patient's support.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006 .
In case the estate of any patient in a hospital is sufficient for the patient's support and no guardian has been appointed for such estate, the agent of the department of mental health and addiction services shall petition the probate court of the proper county to appoint a guardian.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006 .
On the death of a person who is a patient, or has been a patient in a hospital, or on the death of a person responsible under section 5121.34 of the Revised Code for the support of a patient, the department of mental health and addiction services may waive the presentation of any claim for support against the estate of such decedent, when in its judgment an otherwise dependent person will be directly benefited by the estate. Claims against an estate for support of a patient are subject to section 5815.28 and Chapter 2117. of the Revised Code, and shall be treated, and may be barred, the same as the claims of other creditors of the estate, pursuant to that section or chapter.
The department of mental health and addiction services may accept from a guardian or trustee of a patient a contract agreeing to pay to the state from the property of the guardian's or trustee's ward before or at the death of the ward a fixed annual amount for the support of the ward while the ward is a patient, with interest at four per cent per annum. A copy of the contract shall be filed in the probate court of the proper county and duly entered as a part of the records concerning the ward.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006; 01-01-2007
The state shall bear the expense of the burial or cremation of an indigent patient who dies in a hospital if the body is not claimed for interment or cremation at the expense of friends or relatives, or is not delivered for anatomical purposes or for the study of embalming in accordance with section 1713.34 of the Revised Code. The managing officer of the hospital shall provide at the grave of the patient or, if the patient's cremated remains are buried, at the grave of the patient's cremated remains, a metal, stone, or concrete marker on which shall be inscribed the name and age of the patient and the date of death.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006.
If payment of any amount due the state under the provisions of this chapter is made on account of a patient by any liable relative, as defined in section 5121.30 of the Revised Code, the relative may recover from the patient, the patient's guardian, or the executor or administrator of the patient's estate, the full amount of payment made by the liable relative; provided, that in no event may a relative recover in total more than the relative has paid the state, and provided, that in no event is the person from whom recovery is sought obliged to pay at a rate of support higher than the person would have paid had the state proceeded directly against that person.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006.
The cost for support of a client of state-operated community mental health services is an amount determined using guidelines the department of mental health and addiction services shall issue. The guidelines shall be based on cost findings and rate-settings applicable to such services.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006 .
The support and maintenance of patients confined in state hospitals for the mentally ill, including persons transferred to them from state correctional institutions, and also including persons under indictment or conviction for crime, shall be collected and paid in accordance with sections 5121.30 to 5121.55 of the Revised Code.
Effective Date: 01-01-2006.