Section 122.1712
(A) As used in this section:
(1) "Fiscal year" means the fiscal year of this state as specified in section 9.34 of the Revised Code.
(2) "Individual microcredential assistance program" means the individual microcredential assistance program created under section 122.1710 of the Revised Code.
(3) "Microcredential" has the same meaning as in section 122.178 of the Revised Code.
(4) "Training provider" means all of the following:
(a) An Ohio technical center as defined in section 3333.94 of the Revised Code;
(b) A private business or institution that offers training to allow an individual to earn one or more microcredentials;
(c) A state institution of higher education as defined in section 3345.011 of the Revised Code.
(B) The director of development, in consultation with the governor's office of workforce transformation, shall establish a platinum provider program. A training provider that is approved to participate in the individual microcredential assistance program and that meets the requirements specified under this section is eligible to participate in the platinum provider program. A training provider approved to participate in the platinum provider program may receive one or more advance payments to cover the training costs for individuals to earn a microcredential under the individual microcredential assistance program.
(C) A training provider seeking to participate in the platinum provider program shall apply to the director on a form prescribed by the director after the training provider is approved to participate in the individual microcredential assistance program. The training provider shall include in the application all of the following information:
(1) The advance payment amount the training provider is seeking, not to exceed twenty per cent of the total reimbursement amount the training provider seeks under division (C) of section 122.1710 of the Revised Code;
(2) Evidence that at least eighty per cent of individuals who participated in training programs offered by the training provider in the previous fiscal year earned a microcredential under the individual microcredential assistance program;
(3) The number of microcredentials for which the training provider is seeking an advance payment and the names of the microcredentials;
(4) The cost of the training for each microcredential for which the training provider is seeking an advance payment;
(5) Proof that the training provider has obtained a surety bond that meets the requirements of division (J) of this section.
(D) The director shall notify a training provider in writing of the director's decision to approve or deny an application the training provider submits under division (C) of this section. If the director approves the application, the director shall do both of the following:
(1) Designate the training provider as a platinum provider;
(2) Provide an initial advance payment to the platinum provider in the amount specified in the application but not exceeding any of the amounts described under division (F) of this section.
(E) After each training program that a platinum provider administers during a fiscal year that results in at least one individual earning a microcredential, the provider may apply for a subsequent advance payment of not more than the least of the amounts described under division (F) of this section. The provider shall include in the application the same information as described under division (C) of this section. If a provider applies for a subsequent advance payment under this division, one of the following applies depending on the training program's completion rate:
(1) If at least eighty per cent of the individuals who participated in the training program earned a microcredential, the director shall provide a subsequent advance payment to the provider in the amount specified in the application.
(2) If less than eighty per cent of the individuals who participated in the training program earned a microcredential, to be eligible for a subsequent advance payment, the provider shall refund to the director a certain per cent of the advance payment amount that was last provided to the provider during the fiscal year as determined under division (E)(2)(a) of this section.
(a) The per cent a provider must refund to be eligible for a subsequent advance payment under division (E)(2) of this section is the difference between eighty per cent and the per cent of individuals who earned a microcredential.
(b) For a provider to whom division (E)(2) of this section applies, if the provider complies with that division, the director shall provide a subsequent advance payment to the provider in the amount specified in the provider's application. If the provider does not comply with that division, the director shall not provide a subsequent advance payment.
(F) In no case shall the director provide an advance payment under this section that exceeds the least of the following amounts:
(1) Twenty per cent of the total amount of reimbursement the platinum provider seeks under division (C) of section 122.1710 of the Revised Code;
(2) The amount of the provider's surety bond required by division (J) of this section, less any previous advance payment the provider is required to refund to the director under division (G) of this section, if the provider has not yet completed the refund;
(3) One hundred thousand dollars.
(G)(1) If the director approves a reimbursement application that a platinum provider submits under division (F) of section 122.1710 of the Revised Code, the director shall reimburse the platinum provider for the total actual cost for the platinum provider to provide training to individuals who earned a microcredential in accordance with that division less the total advance payment amount provided to the platinum provider under this section. The director shall not reimburse the platinum provider for any amounts the platinum provider refunded to the director under division (E)(2) of this section. If the platinum provider specifies in the reimbursement application that the total actual cost for the platinum provider to provide the training is less than the total advance payment amount provided to the platinum provider under this section, the platinum provider shall refund to the director the difference between the advance payment amount and the actual training cost.
(2) If a platinum provider fails to apply for reimbursement under division (F) of section 122.1710 of the Revised Code, the director shall require the platinum provider to refund the total advance payment amount provided to the platinum provider under this section.
(H) If, at the time a platinum provider seeks reimbursement under division (F) of section 122.1710 of the Revised Code, the director determines that less than eighty per cent of individuals who participated in training programs provided by the platinum provider in the fiscal year earned a microcredential or that the platinum provider has failed to maintain the bond required under division (J) of this section, both of the following apply:
(1) The director shall revoke the provider's status as a platinum provider ;.
(2) The provider is ineligible to participate in the platinum provider program for the following fiscal year.
(I) A training provider whose platinum status is revoked under division (H) of this section may reapply to participate in the platinum provider program in the fiscal year that follows the fiscal year in which the training provider is ineligible to participate in the program under that division.
(J) A training provider that is certified as a platinum provider or that seeks to participate in the platinum provider program shall maintain a surety bond issued by a bonding company or an insurance company licensed to do business in this state. The bond shall be in favor of the director in an amount not less than the sum of the total advance payments received by the provider for the fiscal year plus any advance payments for previous fiscal years that the provider is required to refund under division (G) of this section, if the provider has not yet completed the refund. The provider shall maintain the bond for so long as it participates in the program and shall not allow it to expire or terminate until all of the provider's obligations under division (G) of this section are fulfilled.
Last updated July 22, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Available Versions of this Section
- September 30, 2025 – Enacted by House Bill 96 - 136th General Assembly [ View September 30, 2025 Version ]