The temporary law authorizing the ERI Program expired on June 30, 2007. Amended Substitute House Bill 119 (Ohio's budget bill) does not include language that would permit the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) to continue the ERI Program into the next state fiscal year. The ERI program was introduced in Office of Family Stability (OFS) letter #54 on July 25, 2006, and went into effect on August 1, 2006. OFS letter #62 was issued June 8, 2007 with details on the expiration of the ERI Program. With the implementation of the Ohio Administrative Knowledge System (OAKS), the last day to authorize June auxiliary warrants was the close of business on Wednesday, June 27, 2007.

As no ERI warrants can be authorized through CRIS-E on or after June 28, 2007, an alternate method to replace ERI warrants that are reported as lost, stolen, damaged or not received, has been established and is now contained in rule 5101:1-23-80 of the Administrative Code. Replacement ERI warrants will be issued from ODJFS outside of CRIS-E and that process is detailed in the rule and described below. All ERI replacement warrants must be issued by October 31, 2007.

Note: This process only applies to ERI replacement warrants. All other replacements will still be handled through CRIS-E.

Rule 5101:1-23-80 of the Ohio Administrative Code governing ERI has been rescinded and reissued to address only the policy pertaining to the replacement of ERI warrants after the ERI program has expired.

CHAPTER 2000

5101:1-23-80 Employment retention incentive (ERI) program.

Paragraph (A) of the rule contains the policy regarding the responsibilities of the County Department of Job and Family Services (CDJFS) for requesting replacement of an ERI warrant that was reported as stolen, lost, damaged or not received by the recipient. When the recipient reports that an ERI warrant has been stolen, lost, or not received, the CDJFS shall initiate the replacement of the ERI warrant after 5 business days. If the original ERI warrant was damaged, the replacement process can begin immediately. If the original ERI warrant has been stolen, lost or not received, the CDJFS shall require the recipient to complete the AUD 7202 "Auditor of State Welfare Audits and Investigation Handwriting Sample" and the JFS 02132 "Affidavit in Support of Application for Replacement Warrant". A stop payment must also be initiated on the CRIS-E SFES (ERI stop payment request) screen.

In order for the ERI warrant to be replaced, it must have a warrant disposition of returned/canceled (RC), void (VO) or issued (IS) with no disposition. If the original ERI warrant has been redeemed (RM), it will not be replaced.

No ERI warrants can be replaced through CRIS-E after June 27, 2007. The request for a replacement warrant must be submitted to the Office of Family Stability at ODJFS and if applicable, the replacement warrant will be issued by ODJFS. A new form has been created for the CDJFS to use when requesting the replacement of an ERI warrant that was lost, stolen, damaged or not received (and not redeemed). The JFS 07209 "Employment Retention Incentive Program Request for Re-Issuance" along with the instructions are included in this transmittal. If the CDJFS is requesting the replacement of an ERI warrant, the JFS 07209 shall be mailed to:

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services

Office of Family Stability

Attention ERI Contract Manager

P.O. Box 182709

Columbus, Ohio 43218-2709

The form can also be faxed to the ERI Contract Manager at (614) 728-0761.

Paragraph (B) outlines the responsibilities of ODJFS in the replacement process. When the JFS 07209 is received at ODJFS, it will be reviewed for accuracy. If the form is not complete or there is not an authorizing signature, it will be returned to the CDJFS. Staff will confirm that the current disposition code in CRIS-E is either returned/canceled (RC), void (VO) or SP (stop payment in effect). If necessary, staff will contact ODJFS Office of Fiscal Services when the disposition does not yet show that a stop payment is in effect. If the disposition is RC, VO, or SP, the JFS 07209 will be submitted to the ODJFS Office of Fiscal Services for payment. Upon issuance of the ERI replacement warrant, the JFS 07209 will be noted with the voucher number and date of mailing and faxed to the CDJFS for its files. CLRC should be updated to reflect this information since the ERI replacement warrant will not appear in payment history in CRIS-E.

CAM APPENDIX - FORMS

With the issuance of this CAMTL, the JFS 07204 "Application for Employment Retention Incentive" (English, Spanish, and Somali) and the JFS 07206 "Employment Retention Incentive Brochure" (English, Spanish, and Somali) are being removed from the Cash Assistance Manual. These forms will no longer be available to order nor will they be available online. The JFS 07209 and JFS 07209-I (Instructions) have been added to the forms appendix in the manual.

INSTRUCTIONS