Morrow County Board of DD
Transition of Adult Day Array Services at Whetstone Industries
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why do county boards of developmental disabilities need to transition services to a private
provider?

Ohio was notified in 2014 that it must meet federal mandates from the Centers of Medicaid
and Medicare Services (CMS) to ensure conflict-free case management (Service and
Support/SSA services). County Boards are responsible to provide monitoring services and are
also a primary funding source, which can contribute to the potential for conflict of interest. As a
result, county boards can no longer provide direct services and must transition all Adult Day,
Community and Transportation Services to qualified private providers. Most counties have
completed this process. Morrow DD’s primary goal was to complete this transition in a manner
that avoids any negative impact to the individuals that were directly served by the county
board. We established a goal of December 31, 2021 to cease providing direct services to adults.

Which private provider was selected to provide services at Whetstone Industries?

Morrow DD completed a formal Request For Qualifications process in 2021 and MARCA, Inc., of
Marion, Ohio was selected as the qualified private provider for services at Whetstone
Industries. MARCA is the private provider for Marion County DD and is a Medicaid certified
provider with a good history. All individuals who participated in services at Whetstone
Industries were provided with the Free Choice of Provider process to ensure their individual
choices were honored. Other Adult Day providers who currently provided Day services to
Morrow County residents were included in that choice process. This process was also followed
for transportation and community services.

What happened to the County Board adult services staff?

The goal of transitioning our Adult Services program was to include all staff. All Direct Support
Professionals (DSPs) were given the opportunity to meet with MARCA leadership and all were
extended employment offers. Employees who transition from county board public employment
to the same or similar positions due to this privatization process are given the opportunity to
continue in the Ohio Public Employee Retirement System (OPERS) so they may continue with
their retirement plans. For a specified period of time, transitioned employees can choose to opt
out of OPERS. Transitioned employees will also pay into Social Security because they are
working for a private employer. Salary and benefits are now determined by the private
provider.

How does this transition affect the County Board’s need for tax levies?

This transition does not reduce the need for county board levies. Local levy funds provide
nearly 100% of the cost for non-Medicaid services and matching funds, at approximately 40% of
the cost, for Medicaid (waiver) funded services. The funding for the Adult Day privatized
services basically moves from direct expenses in our budget, like salaries, benefits and supplies,
to our waiver match and locally funded expenses. County Boards must send matching funds to
the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) quarterly, and DODD uses these
funds to draw down federal Medicaid funds to pay private providers when they bill for services.
This process will now be the same for Adult Day services provided by MARCA at Whetstone as it
has been for other Adult Day providers who were already providing services to county
residents, and as it has been for Residential and Community Services, which have been
provided by private providers for many years. Local levy funds also fund Early Intervention
therapies and services, Service and Support Administration (SSA/case management), Supported
Living, Investigative Agent services, and all non-Medicaid funded services, including Special
Olympics, Family Directed Resources, community outreach and the administrative functions
required of county boards.

Did Morrow DD sell the Whetstone Industries building?

MorrowDD leases the Whetstone building and related equipment to MARCA. The county board
will still ensure the upkeep of this facility while MARCA ensures that the day-to-day custodial
and operation-related maintenance services are maintained. The items leased to MARCA
remain county board property and will be returned to MorrowDD if MARCA no longer needs
them.

Have more questions?

We will continue to address FAQs monthly or as the questions arise so that everyone is
receiving the most current information. Please check our website to find factual information.
If you have questions or would like them addressed in our FAQs, please submit them or contact:
Nancy Foglesong, 419-947-1159 or nfoglesong@MorrowDD.com
Deb Levering 419-947-1159 or dlevering@MorrowDD.com

We appreciate your support through this transition and every step along our journey as we
strive to uphold our mission: to cultivate a dynamic community where people can make
meaningful contributions and lead fulfilling lives.

#WorldsImagined