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      December 15, 2022
DSP Quarterly Retention Payments Announcement
The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) is launching the county board-funded Direct Support Professional (DSP) retention payment initiative for independent providers and DSPs of agency waiver providers. 
Progress this week 
On Tuesday, December 13, the Ohio Legislature amended language to authorize the payments into House Bill 45. The bill passed the Ohio Senate and Ohio House on Wednesday, December, 14 and is now awaiting Governor Mike DeWine’s signature, which is expected by the end of the year. Today, following legislative approval, Governor DeWine issued an emergency rule. This progress allows DODD to launch the initiative and partner with county boards of developmental disabilities to issue payments in the coming months. 
How the initiative works 
In July, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved the initiative with an effective date of July 1. This allows for these payments to be retroactive to that date. Quarterly payments will be distributed to participating home and community-based waiver providers that opt-in. Participating agency providers must distribute the vast majority of the payment to eligible DSPs. Every quarter, participating agency providers are then required to report certain data elements and attest that the funds were used in accordance with all requirements. Independent providers are eligible for payments and will not need to opt-in or report to participate. 

This investment aims to assist Ohio's developmental disabilities system in addressing the workforce crisis through retention incentives for DSPs. With a federal match, county boards will generate approximately $143 million annually for retention payments to the DSP workforce. 
First payment structure 
Because the initiative is retroactive to July, initial payments will cover three quarters of payments. This will allow DODD to expedite payments allowing funds to get out sooner and will put the initiative on schedule with rule requirements by April. DODD will stagger the three initial payments to providers, which will assist providers in tracking how funds are passed along to DSPs. The table below shows how the first payments will be issued: 
Starting Tuesday, January 3, waiver agency providers can enroll online at https://dodd.ohio.gov/providers/RetentionPayment. Registration will remain open for initial payments until January 16. Provider agencies and independent providers will receive the first payments in mid-January. Eligible DSPs employed by agency providers will receive payment from their employers by mid-March. Agency DSPs should talk with their employer to determine when they will receive their retention payments.  
Thank you! 
DODD thanks our partners, once again, for their collaboration on this initiative. This creative and first-of-its-kind proposal was led by Ohio's county boards of developmental disabilities and the Ohio Association of County Boards of Developmental Disabilities (OACB). County boards, OACB, and DODD worked with the DODD Workforce Crisis Task Force, the Ohio Provider Resource Network, the Ohio Health Care Association, the Ohio Waiver Network, the Values and Faith Alliance, and the Arc of Ohio in the development of this proposal to invest local funds to support the DSP workforce. 

Thank you to all the DSPs across Ohio who provide essential daily support to Ohioans with developmental disabilities. This effort and this investment is for you. Thank you. 

Additional information 
Additional information, training resources, and frequently asked questions can be found on the webpage. Please contact retentionpay@dodd.ohio.gov with any additional questions.  
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