This letter announces a new option for licensed child care centers and type A providers, and certified type B providers to electronically submit the JFS 01299 "Incident/Injury Report for Child Care Centers/Type A Homes/Type B Providers" for serious incidents. Serious incidents are described in rules 5101:2-12-35, 5101:2-13-35, 5101:2-14-28 and 5101:2-14-58 of the Administrative Code.

Licensed child care centers and licensed type A homes are required to contact verbally ODJFS within twenty-four hours after a serious incident and to follow with a written JFS 01299 within three business days of the serious incident. Certified type B homes are required to verbally contact the County Department of Job and Family Services (CDJFS) within twenty-four hours after a serious incident and to follow with a written JFS 01299 within three business days of the serious incident. When using the electronic submission, the written notification requirement is met. The serious incident data is retained in a database that will be accessible by ODJFS and CDJFS staff.

Beginning May 15, 2009, providers may electronically submit serious incidents to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) by accessing the form at: http://www.odjfs.state.oh.us/forms/num/JFS01299 on the Forms Central website and submitting the PDF version of the form. Providers will need to have adobe acrobat version 7.0 to utilize this feature. Submission of serious reports via this system does not fulfill the 24 hour requirement to make contact with the designated person at ODJFS or the CDJFS.

As a reminder only serious incidents (as defined in rule) are to be submitted to ODJFS.

Please contact the Help Desk for the Office for Children and Families at 1-866-886-3537, option # 4 if you have any questions.

INSTRUCTIONS: The following chart identifies the material that needs to be removed from and inserted into the below Manuals.