Watch OOD Director Kevin Miller discuss exciting new plans
for 2018, including an initiative to implement app-based technology that will
help individuals with visual impairments with their navigation needs around a
college campus. He also gives an update on the agency's expectation of a new State Rehabilitation Council model. Watch the Director’s video here.
The Youth Leadership Forum (YLF) is now accepting
applications for the summer 2018 session. YLF is an annual event hosted by OOD
through which high school juniors and seniors with disabilities learn about
choosing a career, self-advocacy and leadership development. To learn more
about YLF and to apply, visit Youth
Leadership Forum.
The Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Cooperative
Disability Investigations (CDI) Program supports OOD’s strategic goal of
ensuring the integrity of Social Security programs, with zero tolerance for
fraud. The program is a cooperative effort of the Office of the Inspector
General (OIG), SSA, the state Disability Determinations Services (DDS), and state
or local law enforcement. CDI Units investigate individual disability
beneficiaries and claimants. The Ohio CDI Unit, housed within OOD, assisted in saving more than $34,000,000 in SSA funds, and other program funds in fiscal year 2017. For more information on the Fraud Prosecution Project and
the SSA’s other anti-fraud efforts, visit https://www.ssa.gov/antifraudfacts/.
Members of the public can report suspected Social Security
fraud to the Social Security Fraud Hotline at https://oig.ssa.gov/report; send
mail to P.O. Box 17768, Baltimore, MD 21235; fax 410-597-0118; or call 800-269-0271
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
Ohio DDS Disability Program Specialists Kevin Litman and Jenny Fleming receive recognition of their 10 years of service to the Cleveland CDI Unit.
Watch Cynthia Crews, the OOD Business Relations Specialist
in the agency’s southwest area, share how potential employers are surprised and
pleased by the wide range of skills from OOD job seekers. Watch Cynthia’s video here.
After Peter was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease, he worked with his employer
to balance his work schedule with medical treatments. When he needed to make
health his full-time priority, Peter started receiving Social Security
Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. Years later, after a successful kidney
transplant, Peter wanted to return to work, but wasn’t sure if his skills and
experience were still current. Peter
learned that through SSA’s free Ticket to Work program, state vocational rehabilitation
agencies and service
providers offer a range of support services. Read Peter’s Success
Story.
Did you know that starting your path to employment is as
simple as 1, 2, 3. OOD’s Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program assists
individuals with physical, intellectual, mental health and sensory disabilities
to get a job or retain employment. If you have a disability and want to work or
if you know someone who has a disability and wants to work, visit OODWorks.com today to start on the
path to employment.
Within your daily travels,
whether it’s stopping at an interstate rest area or at a state office building,
you may have noticed something different about certain vending machines. These vending
machines are getting a new, updated look and are owned and operated by
OOD's Business Enterprise Program (BEP)
participants. The BEP provides entrepreneurship opportunities to persons who
are blind or visually impaired to operate vending machines, cafeterias and
convenience stores in many federal facilities, as
well as some state run locations.
The installation of new signage
and machine wraps has been completed at 97 BEP sites. Rebranding will
continue in conjunction with the upgrading of equipment and other renovations
around the state. “The new branding brings standardization and consistency,”
said Christine Hauck, manager of OOD’s Business Enterprise Program. “It
displays the program’s mission and purpose.” The rebranding replaces basic
signs and shows more extensive information about OOD’s Bureau of Services for
the Visually Impaired (BSVI), and directs those interested in more information to OOD's website and the OODWorks.com job portal.
Connect to OOD on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to see items like this story about how we assisted an
individual to keep working by helping him get a standing wheelchair. To watch the news story, visit Individual
receives special wheelchair. #ConnectToOOD #OODWorks
Please share this publication and
encourage others to subscribe to the OOD Focus E-newsletter on
our website. Also, be sure to join us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.
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