Reps. Brown Piccolantonio, Humphrey: Aging Rule Still Too Burdensome, Risks Delaying Senior Services
COLUMBUS – State Reps. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio (D-Gahanna) and Latyna M. Humphrey (D-Columbus) today responded to the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review’s (JCARR) unanimous decision to move proposed rule 173-2-08 forward for a business impact analysis before it can be reconsidered by the committee.
Rule 173-2-08 would require the Ohio Department of Aging to review and pre-approve all commercial relationships for Ohio Area Agencies on Aging (AAA’s) requiring significant effort and likely delays in agreements for services.
“We cannot allow critical services to citizens to be delayed or denied due to unneeded bureaucracy. Proactive review needs to be done carefully and with agreement between an agency and the stakeholders and citizens who could be harmed,” said Rep. Brown Piccolantonio.
“Any delay, block, or increased expense for service providers for our older adults can be a difference between receiving the food, care, and other critical support. JCARR is right to take a very close look at this rule,” said Rep. Humphrey.
Lawmakers note that the rule remains overly burdensome on COAAAs and other Area Agencies on Aging. The Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging (o4a) provided testimony about the small businesses and local providers who could be negatively impacted. They warn the proposal could delay or undermine critical services for older Ohioans-many of which are already subject to oversight through other agencies, including the Department of Medicaid.
Under R.C. 106.05, today’s JCARR action refers the rule to the Common Sense Initiative (CSI) for review. In this process:
- CSI has 30 days to complete its analysis and return the rule to JCARR and the agency;
- The referral is published in the Register of Ohio; and
- The timeline for final filing and the General Assembly’s window to invalidate the rule are paused during this review.
JCARR will later consider CSI’s findings and any recommended changes.