In accordance with Ohio Revised Code Section 119.032, each state agency is required to review its rules a minimum of once every five years. The intent of the law is to ensure that rules are clearly written and that program requirements are accurate, up-to-date and clearly expressed. To the extent possible, unnecessary paperwork will be eliminated, and local agencies will be given increased flexibility. The purpose of a rule review is to determine whether a rule should be continued without amendment, amended or be rescinded, taking into consideration each rule's scope and purpose.

A five-year review was recently conducted on Ohio Administrative Code rules 5101:1-3-12.7, "Vocational Educational Training"; 5101:1-3-12.12, "Alternative Activities"; 5101:1-3-12.11, "Satisfactory attendance at secondary school or in a course of study leading to a certificate of general equivalence, in the case of a recipient who has not completed secondary school or received such a certificate"; and 5101:1-3-20, "Ohio works first: domestic violence, information, screening, referral and waiver of eligibility requirements."

The following pages describe the changes that are being proposed to each rule. In addition, as part of the ongoing review process, the acronym "CDJFS" has been changed to "county agency" to align with the Food Assistance rules. If no further revisions are made to the proposed rules prior to finalization by the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR), they will become effective on February 1, 2012. If changes are necessary, a copy of the revised rules will be forwarded to you at that time.

Chapter 2000

5101:1-3-12.7: Vocational Educational Training

This rule provides a definition of vocational educational training, gives examples of acceptable types of vocational educational training, explains how the hours of participation in this activity count toward the work participation requirements, defines the federal limitation on this activity, and explains how the tuition for this activity is paid.

This rule is being proposed for rescission and replaced with a new rule written in question-and-answer format for clarity.

5101:1-3-12.11: Satisfactory attendance at secondary school or in a course of study leading to a certificate of general equivalence, in the case of a recipient who has not completed secondary school or received such a certificate

This rule is being proposed for rescission and replaced with a new rule written in question-and-answer format for clarity. This rule defines satisfactory attendance at secondary school or in a course of study leading to a certificate of general equivalence, in the case of a recipient who has not completed secondary school or received such a certificate. It also defines a high school equivalence diploma and explains how this activity counts toward the work participation requirements.

5101:1-3-12.12: Alternative Activities

This rule sets forth the definitions of alternative activities, provides examples of alternative activities, and explains the required number of hours for work participation. This rule is being proposed for rescission and replaced with a new rule written in question-and-answer format for clarity.

5101:1-3-20: Ohio works first: domestic violence-information, screening, referral and waiver of eligibility requirements

This rule is being proposed for amendment to revise a form number. It sets forth the Ohio Works First (OWF) policy regarding information, screening, referral and waiver of certain OWF eligibility requirements in domestic violence situations.

Instructions:

The following chart identifies the material that should be removed from the Cash Assistance Manual and the material that should be added.