LeadingAge Ohio is now accepting nominations for its 2026 Annual Awards, which recognize member organizations and individuals whose work reflects leadership, innovation, service, and a strong commitment to older Ohioans. Awards will be presented during the LeadingAge Ohio Annual Meeting this fall, and nominations are open through May 29, 2026. Member organizations may nominate colleagues, staff, volunteers, or their organizations across five categories: the Aging Services Impact Award, Emerging Leader Award, Excellence in Caring Award, Visionary Leadership Award of Honor, and the Heart of Hospice-Rose and Sam Stein Award.
LeadingAge Ohio is also accepting nominations for the 2026 Hall of Changemakers display at Annual Conference. Created for this year’s conference theme, Celebrating the Changemakers, the recognition highlights individuals or member organizations whose influence has made a lasting difference in a life, workplace, or community. Honorees will be featured in the Hall of Changemakers display during the conference.
For award criteria, nomination forms, and submission details, visit the 2026 Annual Awards nomination page. Questions may be directed to Molly Homan, Director of Operations, at mhoman@leadingageohio.org. This week, the conservative media company The Daily Wire began a multi-part series drawing attention to clusters of home care agencies in north Columbus billing Ohio Medicaid for millions of dollars between 2018 and 2024. The story has since been picked up across conservative media, including Fox News. The story prompted promises from Vice President J.D. Vance for a Medicaid “crackdown” in his home state.
The series relies on data disclosures made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in early 2025, with reporter Luke Bosiak zeroing in those home care agencies owned by Somali immigrants in north Columbus with offices concentrated in a small number of office buildings. The series also focuses on home care agencies that employ paid family caregiving through self-direction in Ohio’s HCBS waiver programs.
To date, two articles have been published, with more to follow.
LeadingAge Ohio is closely monitoring this emerging story for its potential wider impact Ohio’s home- and community-based provider network. Questions may be directed to Susan Wallace at swallace@leadingageohio.org. Top You Asked: Are there specific staff that must be a part of a grievance committee and how often must it meet?
We Answered: Yes. Under the Ohio Revised Code (OAC) 3721.12, the grievance committee shall be comprised of the home's staff and residents, sponsors, or outside representatives in a ratio of not more than one staff member to every two residents, sponsors, or outside representatives.
The committee is required to review, at least annually, the home’s written policies addressing the applicability and implementation of residents’ rights under section 3721.10 to section 3721.17 of the Revised Code, the responsibilities of residents regarding the rights, and the home's grievance procedure established under this section. Top LeadingAge Ohio was proud to recognize 75 STARS honorees from 18 organizations during the Northeast STARS Awards at Mapleside Farms in Brunswick, Ohio. The annual event honors frontline care partners whose work supports older Ohioans every day, including nurses, nurse aides, medication aides, drivers, maintenance staff, IT professionals, dietary aides, cooks, and other team members who keep care and services running across the region.
This year’s event brought those teams together for an afternoon of recognition, with Taco Tuesday and Cinco de Mayo adding a fun touch to the celebration. Each honoree reflects the steady, person-centered work that makes a difference for older adults and families every day, and it was a privilege to recognize so many of the people behind that work.
See photos from the Northeast STARS Awards on our LinkedIn. As part of LeadingAge Ohio’s collaboration with Hondros College of Nursing, members may attend Hondros Career Fairs at no charge. LeadingAge Ohio members also receive a discount on select Hondros nursing programs. Dates and locations are below:
Akron Campus — Tuesday, May 19, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Cincinnati / West Chester Campus — Tuesday, May 12, noon to 1:30 p.m., and Wednesday, May 13, noon to 1:30 p.m.
Cleveland / Independence Campus — Wednesday, May 20, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Columbus Campus — Thursday, May 14, 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Dayton Campus — Tuesday, May 19, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Thursday, May 21, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Toledo / Maumee Campus — Tuesday, May 26, noon to 5 p.m.
Learn more and RSVP here. Enjoy drinks and light food as you meet with old friends and create new connections at the final spring networking event, held at the Maumee Bay Brewing Company in Toledo May 12 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Learn more here.
Attendance is free for LeadingAge Ohio member communities. Associate firms and partners are welcome to attend for a fee. Contact Corey Markham at cmarkham@leadingageohio.org for details. There's always something happening at LeadingAge Ohio, view all upcoming events here and mark your calendar today!
- May 7, 4 p.m. - Spring Regional Networking Gathering - Cincinnati
- May 8, 11 a.m. - Adult Day Subcommittee
- May 12, 1 p.m. - Membership Committee
- May 12, 4 p.m. - Spring Regional Networking Gathering - Toledo
- May 13, 4 p.m. - Survey Tips & Tactics: Medical Record Compliance
- May 14, 10 a.m. - Board of Directors Meeting
- May 15, 1 p.m. - LeadingAge Ohio Foundation Meeting
- May 18, 10 a.m. - Advocacy in Action
- May 21, 9 a.m. - Ohio Palliative Care Summit
- May 21, 2:30 p.m. - 2026 Survey Success Collaborative: Building Strong Foundations for 5-Star Outcomes - Survey Strategy and Risk Evaluation
Top Nursing home members can now access the latest Five Star Reports in the LeadingAge Report Portal. Based on the April 29 update to Nursing Home Care Compare data, these reports include changes to all three domains–Health Inspections, Staffing, and Quality Measures–and the overall Five Star rating. This quarter includes a change to cut points for the long-stay antipsychotics quality measure due to an error in the January 2026 quarterly refresh. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) states the correction “did not have a significant impact on scores for this measure or the quality measure ratings. However, the scoring cut points for this measure will be reset to place providers into deciles using data from 2024 Q4–2025 Q3.” The LeadingAge Leadership Academy, a year-long cornerstone program for leadership development in aging services, is now accepting applications for 2027. It offers members the opportunity to build leadership skills through reflective practice, peer learning, and real-world application. The application process includes several components—start early and submit by July 13. Top Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Aging have announced the launch of the Ohio Aging Compass, a new online platform designed to help older Ohioans and caregivers access services and information in one place.
The tool brings together resources that have traditionally been spread across multiple systems, aiming to simplify navigation of long-term services and supports. It includes a searchable directory of more than 1,700 long-term care providers, along with educational resources, local service information, and data on Ohio’s aging population.
State officials have framed the platform as part of a broader effort to improve access to information as Ohio’s older adult population continues to grow. Individuals age 65 and older are projected to make up a quarter of the state’s population by 2040.
The Aging Compass also includes features such as connections to Golden Buckeye program discounts and a calendar of aging-related events. State officials indicated the platform may continue to evolve, with potential future enhancements such as additional navigation tools and expanded functionality.
The tool is now available through the Ohio Department of Aging’s website. Ohio’s May 5 primary election set the stage for several closely watched November matchups, with clear nominees emerging in the state’s top races.
Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton will face off for governor, framing a contest that is expected to highlight contrasting approaches on taxes, economic policy, and affordability issues. In the U.S. Senate race, Sen. Jon Husted (R) and former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) advanced without difficulty, setting up what is likely to be one of the most competitive and expensive Senate races nationally.
Down-ballot, former State Rep. Jay Edwards’ win over State Sen. Kristina Roegner in the Republican treasurer primary marked one of the few competitive statewide contests, signaling some division within the party’s electorate. No major statewide incumbents were defeated in the primary.
In legislative races, former State Rep. Craig Riedel narrowly defeated Rep. Jim Hoops in a Republican Senate primary. Hoops, a longtime legislative advocate on aging issues and a recipient of LeadingAge Ohio’s Public Service Award in 2025, was among the more notable incumbent losses. Two other sitting lawmakers - Sen. Andrew Brenner and Rep. Beth Lear - were also unsuccessful in bids to switch chambers, losing to primary challengers.
In congressional races, former state Rep. Derek Merrin emerged from a crowded Republican primary to again challenge longtime U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur in northwest Ohio, a race expected to draw national attention.
With primaries now settled, attention turns to the general election, where control of key offices - and the policy direction of the state - will be determined.
For more information on Ohio’s primary results, please reach out to Eli Faes at efaes@leadingageohio.org. In celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, AARP is starting the year-long Let’s Talk, Ohio tour across the state, hitting up popular community activities such as fairs and other celebrations. The goal of the listening sessions is to ensure older Ohioans’ opinions are heard, especially as we enter an important election year. Learn more here. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has announced the appointment of Fairfield County Commissioner Dave Levacy as chair of the Ohio Elder Abuse Commission. Levacy represents the County Commissioners Association of Ohio on the commission and has been involved in issues related to older adults and protective services.
Levacy succeeds Judith Brachman, who stepped down after serving as chair for more than a decade.
The Ohio Elder Abuse Commission brings together representatives from state and local agencies, as well as other stakeholders, to coordinate efforts related to the prevention of and response to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The commission’s work includes improving collaboration across systems and increasing awareness of available resources.
Additional information and resources are available through the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. Top A report released on April 29 from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) contends that most nursing homes in the United States do not have adequate or reliable sources of emergency power. This conclusion was based on a review of 100 sampled nursing homes at which OIG interviewed nursing home officials, reviewed emergency power system records, and completed site visits.
From this audit, OIG determined that 72 of 100 nursing homes were noncompliant with federal requirements. A total of 119 deficiencies were identified through this audit to include inadequate maintenance of generators, inadequate circuit coverage, and generators that were out of date, quantified as aged 40 years or more. From these results, OIG estimates that 73% of all nursing homes in the United States have inadequate or unreliable emergency power systems. Specifically, OIG estimates that 53% demonstrate inadequate generator maintenance, 39% have generators with inadequate circuit coverage, and 10% have generators 40 years of age or older.
OIG recommended that CMS share results of this audit with nursing homes and emphasize the importance of having adequate and reliable emergency power systems. Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Tim Scott (R-SC) reintroduced on April 30 the Ensuring Seniors’ Access to Quality Care Act that will fix the CNA lockout that automatically bans nursing homes from training certified nurse aides for two years based on a civil money penalty above a certain threshold, even if the fines were unrelated to the quality of care provided to residents, unrelated to the quality of training, and were promptly identified and addressed to minimize impact and prevent recurrence. The bill also allows nursing homes to access the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) to better screen and vet potential employees.
LeadingAge has endorsed this bill and will continue working with Senator Warner’s and Senator Scott’s offices to advance legislation. Read the full text of this bill here. On April 30, Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) reintroduced the HCBS Access Act, which would make HCBS a permanent part of the Medicaid program and enhance funding for HCBS and for the direct care workforce. LeadingAge supports the HCBS Access Act and will provide more on the bill in the coming days.
The Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act led by Rep. Dingell and Rep. Matsui (D-CA) is a sweeping package that would invest in the direct care workforce through grants and the Medicaid program, as well as implement a suite of worker protections and compensation requirements. LeadingAge is still reviewing the bill.
The press release from Representative Dingell on both bills can be found here. Top In the April 2026 update to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services memo QSO-26-03-NH, CMS clarified what constitutes acceptable credible evidence when determining compliance. An offsite desk paper review revisit may be conducted for less serious (D, E, and F scope and severity levels without substandard quality of care) when on-site observations are not necessary to evaluate corrective actions. In these cases, compliance is determined based on evidence submitted by the facility demonstrating that the plan of correction (POC) was fully implemented and that all deficiencies were corrected. Supporting documentation must be sufficient to validate the corrective actions and ensure the integrity of the verification process. See page 220 of the memo for a list of acceptable credible evidence. The Ohio Department of Health recently responded to provider inquiries related to coding standards.
Question: I am seeking clarification on “active” diagnosis criteria. The diagnosis has been documented by the physician within the last 60 days. There are interventions in the plan of care and are offered daily. The problem is the resident frequently declines these offered interventions. Can we code the diagnosis as active on the MDS if there are no interventions performed in the lookback period due to resident refusal?
Answer: There needs to be resident-specific interventions performed during the observation period, and the medical record must provide evidence that the intervention(s) was (or were) performed to code this item on the MDS. Interventions in the care plan that are not specific to the resident would not meet the criteria for coding the MDS, such as basic daily nursing observations. Interventions listed on a care plan without medical record documentation indicating the interventions were performed would also not meet the coding criteria.
Question: I am working on an admission assessment, and a weight was not obtained for the resident prior to the assessment reference date (ARD). If a facility could not weigh a resident upon admission prior to the ARD, can a weight before admission (e.g., hospital paperwork, family, resident reported) be used to code the weight item at K0200B?
Answer: According to page 3-3 of the MDS 3.0 RAI User's Manual, with the exception of certain items (e.g., some items in Sections J, K, and O), the look-back period does not extend into the preadmission period unless the item instructions state otherwise. In the case of reentry, the look-back period does not extend into time prior to the reentry, unless instructions state otherwise. As such, the resident’s weight should be obtained after entry or reentry into the facility.
Question: Can lymphedema wounds be coded at M1040D, Open lesions other than ulcers, rashes, cuts.
Answer: The intent of M1040D is to capture wounds, sores, boils, cysts, blisters, etc., that are open (and cannot be coded elsewhere) and that develop as part of a disease or condition. If the resident has an open lesion(s) due to a disease or condition (including lymphedema), the provider can capture the lesion(s) in data item M1040D, Open lesion(s) other than ulcers, rashes, cuts (e.g., bullous pemphigoid).
If you have a Question of the Month to submit, please email Cheryl.Moya@odh.ohio.gov and place Question of the Month in the subject line. The submission deadline for the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (SNF QRP) is May 18. Skilled nursing providers must submit Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment data and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) data for Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2025, by 11:59 p.m. on May 18, 2026. The annual NHSN Influenza Vaccination among Healthcare Personnel measure is also due at that time.
Providers are encouraged to review the required measures list and run applicable iQIES reports after submission to confirm data appears correctly. CMS will not accept corrections after the deadline. The original CMS announcement and submission details are available through the SNF QRP data submission notice. Join the Nursing Home Network on Thursday, May 7 at 3:30 p.m. to review the Fiscal Year 2027 Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) Prospective Payment Systems (PPS) proposed rule. The rule was released to the Federal Register on April 2 and comments are due by June 1. If you are not yet a member of the Nursing Home Network and would like to attend this call, email Jodi Eyigor jeyigor@leadingage.org. Top United Church Homes was recently featured in Marion County Now after reporting strong CMS Five-Star Quality Measure ratings across its owned and managed skilled nursing communities in Ohio. According to the local coverage, all United Church Homes skilled nursing communities earned 5-star Quality Measures ratings except The Four Winds Community, which received a 4-star rating, still considered above average.
The story highlights the organization’s performance across communities in Canal Fulton, Sandusky, Fairborn, Dayton, Jackson, Milford, Columbus, Toledo, and Holland, and points to continued focus on quality care, safety, and resident outcomes. In the article, President and CEO Ken Young credited teams across the organization for their daily commitment to exceptional care and meaningful experiences for residents.
Read the original coverage from Marion County Now. Otterbein SeniorLife Pemberville was recently featured in the Sentinel-Tribune as the community marked its 45th anniversary. The story looks back to May 1, 1981, when the first resident moved into what was then Portage Valley, a vision led by Dr. Tom Bowlus and supported by families, local leaders, and donors across northwest Ohio.
The coverage traces the community’s roots from an ambitious local effort in the 1970s to the continuing care community it is today, serving independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, and long-term care residents. Framed as a tribute to the persistence and shared commitment that brought the project to life, the article highlights Otterbein SeniorLife Pemberville’s lasting place in the region.
Read the original coverage from the Sentinel-Tribune. Top LeadingAge Ohio holds valuable education webinars and in-person events throughout the year. Opportunities are added weekly. See the complete Schedule of Events. A quick exchange between friends turned into a pointed reminder: cybersecurity risks don’t always come from sophisticated attacks. In this case, a single photo of a workspace revealed everything needed to guess a password—no hacking required. As organizations invest in stronger systems and controls, this moment underscores a persistent gap: everyday habits and small details can still open the door to social engineering.
To read the complete article from LeadingAge Ohio Partner, Pease Bell, please click here. Top A new federal bill would make assisted living a required Medicaid benefit for older adults who meet nursing facility level-of-care criteria, a change supporters say could improve access to community-based care while reducing reliance on higher-cost institutional settings. The Assisted Living Affordability, Choice, Community, Empowerment, Savings and Support Act, or ACCESS Act, was introduced April 30 by Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) and is expected to be introduced in the House by Rep. Max Miller (R-OH). The measure also would direct states to weigh whether affordable housing developments paired with services for older adults could reduce Medicaid long-term services and supports costs when awarding federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.
LeadingAge supports the bill and has stressed that states must retain authority over assisted living oversight and quality standards. In comments to McKnight’s Senior Living cited by LeadingAge, Senior Vice President Linda Couch said the proposal could make assisted living more affordable for older adults while also expanding the supply of affordable assisted living through the housing credit program.
Read the original article from LeadingAge. Top
|
