Service and Support Administration (SSA)
Service and Support Administrators (SSA) coordinate and connect eligible individuals to services that support their needs and help them live the life they desire
SSAs are the primary point of coordination, which includes:
- Working with individuals and their families to administer assessments and collect documentation to determine eligibility for services.
- Coordination of assessments to find out what is important to individuals and what is working and not working in their life.
- Developing an Individual Service Plan that outlines what is important to/for individuals
- Supporting individuals to select a provider of their choice
- Connecting individuals to community resources they need to be successful
- Providing ongoing coordination and monitoring to ensure services are delivered as outlined in the Individual Service Plan.
Understanding Eligibility:
As outlined in more detail through Ohio Administrative Code, a person must have more than a diagnosis to be eligible for services through a county board of developmental disabilities. To be eligible for services, a person must meet both of the following criteria:
1. A person must have a developmental disability that presents or “manifests” before the age of 22 and is likely to continue throughout the person’s life.
2. A person must meet eligibility criteria for Functional limitations are determined through an assessment conducted by the county board.
- For children ages 6-15, this assessment is called the Children’s Ohio Eligibility Determination Instrument or “COEDI.”
- For people aged 16 and older, this assessment is called the Ohio Eligibility Determination Instrument, or “OEDI.”
What does "manifest" mean?
The term “manifested before age 22” means that the developmental disability is apparent, shown plainly, or capable of being easily understood, recognized, or diagnosed. Manifested does not necessarily require a formal diagnosis before the age of 22. A doctor or other qualified health care professional could determine if a person had a disability before the age of 22 by looking at their history and records. The county board might request documentation from the healthcare provider if the diagnosis was not made prior to the age of 22.
What are functional limitations?
Functional limitations mean a person struggles or cannot perform a task or action in the way it would usually be done by a person of the same age. Questions for functional limitations will look at major life areas such as self-care, mobility, and learning.
Substantial functional limitations are not required to manifest before age 22. These limitations can come at any point in the person’s life. A condition may or may not cause functional limitations. People can live independently but still have functional limitations.
The substantial functional limitations should be clearly connected to the developmental disability, even if the functional limitations did not happen until later in life. The limitations should not be clearly connected to a different medical condition.
Why do I need county board eligibility?
County board eligibility is the first step in getting support through a county board of developmental disabilities. If eligible, you can ask for a service and support administrator from the county board to help find services to meet your needs and goals.
Your needs could be met in different ways, including through locally funded resources, other community resources, through a Medicaid waiver, or an intermediate care facility.
The county board can help you understand what is available to you and connect you to the needed supports.
Ohio Association of County Board's (OACB) Life Map is a good resource for learning about the developmental disabilities system.
1
Start the Process
Click below to fill out the Intake form and email to intake@tcbdd.org, or call (330) -652-1116 and ask for the Intake and Eligibility Department.
For children under the age of 3, contact Ohio Early Intervention (Help Me Grow) at 1-800-755-4769, or complete an online referral form.
2
Provide Proof of Disability
A referral for eligibility starts with the SSA Intake Specialist. A qualifying diagnosis from a medical professional (MD, DO, CNP, or Licensed Psychologist) is required and medical records are needed.
You can provide the records yourself, or the Intake Specialist can send you a Release of Information to sign, which will allow us to contact and get the records from your doctor(s).
3
Visit and Interview
If the records confirm a disability, the Eligibility SSA will call you to set up a time to meet you or your family member, age 6 and older, who is seeking services. They will complete an assessment with you, by listening and asking questions, and discuss what types of supports you are looking for.
State rules require our SSA Eligibility staff to determine if you or the person wanting services has limitations in several life skill areas, depending on age.
4
Eligible or not eligible
You will receive a letter stating whether you or the person being assessed can receive services.
If found eligible, Trumbull DD will follow up with you and send you more information about the supports you requested and talked about at the interview.
If the person is not found eligible, the letter you receive will provide information about community resources and the appeal process.
Service and Support Administrators Help Identify
- Issues and concerns of the individual and/or family
- Outcomes that are important to the individual and family
- Resources which an individual may need
- Individual and family supports and strengths
- The services and supports that will maintain and enhance the individuals health, safety and welfare
- Transition Planning for Youth ages 14-22 moving from school to adulthood
Ohio Law Mandates That SSAs in Each County Provide
- Needs Assessment to determine the services needed and requested by an individual
- Service Coordination and Linkage to identify, assess, and link eligible individuals with the appropriate educational, vocational, or residential setting to ensure that appropriate services are being provided while reducing duplication of services
- Individual Service Monitoring to ensure that all services are being appropriately delivered according to the individual’s service plan and per the established timelines
- Crisis Intervention to provide necessary emergency services to eligible individuals and their families on a 24-hour basis
- Information and referral to respond to questions and requests from individuals in the community regardless of their eligibility for services. Here are some of the community resources available to families: Adult Advocacy and Support; Child Advocacy and Support; Benefits, Employment, Public Assistance; Housing, Food, Utilities, Transportation Assistance; Adult Health Care; and Child Health Care.
Call Trumbull County Board of Developmental Disabilities at 330-652-1116 and ask for an Intake SSA.
