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OOD’s Division of Disability Determination (DDD) is the
fifth largest Disability Determination Service (DDS) in the country and
consistently a top performing DDS in their six state region. In federal fiscal
year 2015, DDD raised the bar again, exceeding its goals in every
category.
The division served 191,607 Ohioans, topping its budgeted
workload of 184,400 by 7,207 cases. They
also outpaced their “stretch goal” (a target beyond the budgeted workload set
by the Social Security Administration (SSA) based on regional and national
factors) of 189,537 and served 7,640 more people than FFY 2014. This was all accomplished with a net accuracy
of 100%! We’ve researched SSA data, and
can’t find a year when the division has sustained quality levels this high.
Along with service and quality, DDD delivers efficiency and
productivity, with one of the lowest cost-per-case ratios in the Chicago Region
and one of the highest Productivity per Work Year statistics. One incredible example of their success is
the Hearings Unit, which increased productivity by 14%, while decreasing costs by 82%!
Congratulations to Erik Williamson, DDD deputy director, and
all of the staff. Your work and
accomplishments stand out within our region and for the nation. Your hard work
continues to be the example for others to follow.
OOD kicked off National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) last Friday with a job fair in Cincinnati. This marks the second year of our regional job fairs designed to connect job ready candidates with Ohio businesses that are hiring.
Held at the Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency, the job fair featured over 35 companies and as many as 250 job seekers. The event also included an educational workshop for employers focused on recruiting a diverse workforce.
The feedback we received indicates that it was a great experience for both job seekers and employers. Employers felt that the day was well organized and that the job seekers that participated were well prepared and qualified. This is exactly what employers are looking for when attending a job fair.
Stacey Callos, HR Manager, Cintas:
“The OOD job fair in Cincinnati was a great experience for Cintas. We were able to gain insights into recruiting a diverse workforce and connect with a diverse pool of job seekers who can help meet our workforce needs. It was a rewarding and productive experience.”
Similarly, job seekers were impressed with the variety and
quality of companies participating.
Industries represented included health care, education, home improvement,
food service, engineering, logistics, telecommunications, hospitality,
entertainment, logistics, banking and more.
Job seeker Jonathan Yantek (right) was impressed:
“I thought it was a really great
experience. There were a lot of good companies here that I was excited to see. I was excited to see P&G [Proctor and Gamble] here. I’m interested in going
into marketing and when I talked with them they had marketing openings. UC [University
of Cincinnati] was here as well, and they had a lot of marketing openings. So there were a lot of companies that were
hiring for positions that I would be interested in.”
I would also like to recognize JobsOhio for their support of all of our
regional job fairs this year. My thanks to our staff and partners
for the hard work that went into making this event a success.
Connecting job ready candidates with employers not only helps
individuals with disabilities achieve quality employment and increased independence
it contributes to the growth of Ohio’s economy by strengthening our workforce.
To see photos from the Cincinnati job fair please visit our Facebook
photo album.
Job fairs in the Columbus,
Toledo, and Cleveland areas are scheduled in the coming weeks. Look for more
information on these events in future issues.
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Minnesota staff and partners visit OOD
Representatives from Minnesota Vocational
Rehabilitation Services, Developmental Disabilities, and other partners visited with us this week looking to gain a deeper understanding of the
success we have achieved in our Employment First Partnership with the
Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD). Their goal is to introduce the best practices
of Ohio to the Minnesota Vocational Rehabilitation Program. They are planning to replicate our model in Dakota County, Minnesota.
Key staff from both OOD
and DODD met with Minnesota staff over the course of the last two
days. The visit also included trips to employer
sites (Woodruff Enterprises and Scioto Downs) and the Delaware
County DD board. Thanks to our county board partners and providers in Pickaway, Madison, Clark and Delaware counties for their support during this visit.
It is exciting to
see the Employment First partnership gain recognition nationally for its
success and being used as a model for other states.
Individuals in Job Ready Status* Statewide: 3,896
(For larger map and county details please visit our website)
*Job Ready Status: Have received Vocational Rehabilitation
services and are ready and seeking employment.
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