“ODJFS takes fraud very seriously, and we are committed to identifying and eliminating fraud in the SNAP program,” Damschroder said. “From increased fraud monitoring efforts to helping SNAP cardholders lock their cards, we’re aggressively working to reduce fraud.”

Criminals have increasingly used a process called skimming to steal account numbers. This involves placing a device over a point-of-sale card reader to copy payment card information. A report from the FICO credit scoring agency shows that card skimming grew 368% from 2021 to 2022.

Recent stories from WEWS and USA Today provide more context on the impact of this issue locally and nationally.
ODJFS takes a number of measures to prevent and detect fraud, including:

• PIN reminders – ODJFS provides multiple reminders to SNAP recipients – via robocalls, text messages, and on-hold messages – to protect their PINs and EBT cards.
• External partner communications – ODJFS provides partners such as the Ohio Grocers Association with fraud prevention tip sheets to help them identify and stop fraudulent activity.
• County Fraud Control and Prevention Plans – ODJFS works with county JFS agencies to address fraud prevention efforts and educate communities about what fraud is, how to prevent it, and its consequences.
• Strategic partnerships – ODJFS provides information on suspicious SNAP retailer activity to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Food and Nutrition Service, and the Ohio Department of Public Safety. These are the main entities charged with identifying and investigating SNAP retailer fraud in Ohio.
• Data analytics – ODJFS utilizes a variety of anti-fraud tools to analyze data and detect fraud, including daily monitoring of SNAP retailer transactions for suspicious activity. The agency also checks numerous state and national databases to ensure recipients are who they say they are and are eligible for benefits.

The best way to keep from being a victim is to be vigilant. Here are some tips for SNAP recipients:

• Manage your benefits through the secure ConnectEBT app on your mobile phone or tablet.
  • Users should take advantage of the card lock option, which allows the individual to lock the card from being used at a retailer location and unlock the card to provide access to benefits only while the individual makes a purchase.
  • Users are able to block out-of-statetransactions to in-person only.
• Create a PIN for your card that is unique and difficult to guess.
• Change your PIN monthly, before each scheduled deposit.
• Never share your card number or PIN. ODJFS will never ask for these numbers.
• Carefully examine point-of-sale card readers before using them to check for skimming devices.
• When using your card, cover the keypad with your body or hand to stop others from seeing your PIN.

ODJFS takes a variety of actions to prevent SNAP fraud and recover funds fraudulently obtained. Those whose benefits were stolen electronically can request reimbursement. Since Oct. 1, 2022, ODJFS has issued more than $1.4 million in reimbursements to approximately 3,400 Ohioans.

Individuals who have had their benefits stolen electronically can seek reimbursement by contacting their local County Department of Job and Family Services.

For more information about how Ohioans can protect their accounts, visit jfs.ohio.gov/cash-food-and-refugee-assistance/Protect+Against+Fraud.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services manages vital programs that strengthen Ohio families. These include job training and employment services, unemployment insurance, cash and food assistance, child care, child and adult protective services, adoption, and child support services. 

Bids for the vehicle listed below will be received in the office of the Champaign County Commissioners at 1512 South U.S. Highway 68, Suite A100, Urbana, Ohio, until 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 8, 2024, when they will be opened and read aloud. Bids are to include the name and phone number of the bidder along with the bid amount and must be sealed in an envelope marked “JFS Vehicle Bid Enclosed”.

Vehicle Information:
2017 Ford Escape SE 4wd
VIN #1FMCU9GD9HUB45777
Mileage: 142,546

Vehicle may be seen by contacting Karen Wayman at the Champaign County Department of Job and Family Services Office at 937-484-1500 Extension 2744. Vehicle will be sold in “as is condition” and the Board of Commissioners reserves the right to reject any or all bids.
​

Champaign County Board of Commissioners
Champaign County, Ohio

To the Residents of Champaign County: The Champaign County Department of Job & Family Services and the Mental Health, Drug & Alcohol Services Board of Logan and Champaign Counties, will hold a Title XX Public Hearing beginning at 4:00p.m. on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at 1512 S. US Hwy 68, Conference Room B (in the Champaign County Community Center), Urbana. The purpose of this hearing is to provide opportunity for input as to the Social Service needs of Champaign County and review the agencies proposed plans for program years beginning October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2025.


We want to encourage citizen participation in planning for public social services and, as such, you are cordially invited to attend this public hearing. Whether you are a member for an advocacy group, an agency representative, or a Champaign County citizen, your views and comments are important to our planning process. Should you desire to give testimony at the hearing, it is requested that you contact Stacy Cox, Champaign County Department of Job & Family Services (937) 484-1500 ext. 2758 or Tammy Nicholl, Mental Health, Drug & Alcohol Services board of Logan and Champaign Counties, (937) 465-1045 so we may allow time for you.


Written testimony may be sent to either of the agencies listed above – please contact them for mailing address. If you do not desire to provide testimony, you are still encouraged to attend to see how the planning process works.


As social service agencies for YOU, we are looking forward to seeing you at the Public Hearing and, hopefully through our mutual effort, we can develop a meaningful service plan for the citizens for Champaign County.


Stacy Cox, Director
Champaign County Department of Job and Family Services


Tammy Nicholl, Executive Director
Mental Health, Drug & Alcohol Services Board of Logan and Champaign Counties

February is the last month that households that receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will also receive an emergency SNAP allotment.
The federal government created the monthly emergency payment to help families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have been helping to prepare families for this change,” Stacy Cox, director of the Champaign County Department of Job and Family Services (CCDJFS), said. “In March, SNAP families will return to receiving just one monthly payment, their standard SNAP benefit.”
She advises households that will need additional food assistance when the emergency SNAP allotment ends to reach out to the following community resources:

• Caring Kitchen, which offers food boxes, by appointment (937-653-8443), 10 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday
  
• The Urbana Champaign County Senior Center, which provides food to seniors, age 55 and over, by appointment (937-653-6088), on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
  
• The Find Food tab on the Second Harvest Food Bank website, theshfb.org, which includes a Pantry Locator
  
• The home page of the CCDJFS website, champaigndjfs.org, which features a link to the contact information of 45 food pantries in Champaign and neighboring counties

Cox said that SNAP recipients will receive automated phone calls and texts to remind them about the discontinuation of emergency SNAP benefits and to remind them to find other resources to help meet their nutrition needs.
The ending of the emergency payments is the result of federal law, so the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and local JFS offices like CCDJFS have no authority to make exceptions, Cox said. “Our office will not be able to return any calls associated with the loss of the emergency allotment.”
Medicaid eligibility reviews to resume in April
Cox added that under the same federal law, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, the Medicaid program will resume conducting full eligibility redeterminations of Medicaid recipients. These reviews had been put on hold due to the pandemic.

“Our service to veterans is a team effort,” says Ron Orr, who works out of the OMJCC office as disabled veterans outreach specialist for the ODJFS Office of Workforce Development. Orr, who served 23 years in the Ohio Air National Guard and U.S. Air Force, nominated OMJCC for the award and designated the VFW and DAV to receive the cash prize. He helps veterans in Champaign, Logan and Union counties.

Priority service for veterans
Through the Jobs for Veterans State Grant Program, OMJCC—a service of the Champaign County Department of Job and Family Services—provides priority service to veterans. New clients are asked from the start whether they served in the military so OMJCC can offer them services they’re entitled to as veterans. Each veteran completes a questionnaire to help determine their needs and status (for instance, if they’re disabled, a Vietnam era vet, have low income, or need education assistance).

“We help all veterans who come through our door,” Orr said.
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Veterans and other clients have access to OMJCC’s state-of-the-art resource room, which is equipped with seven computer stations where they can search for jobs, develop resumes, find training programs and improve interviewing skills—all with staff assistance, as needed.

Andrea Mitchell, OMJCC employer services representative, provides veterans’ resumes to employers first. She builds and maintains relationships with local businesses to help match their needs with the skills of veterans and other job seekers.
Orr says, “Andrea assists all qualified veterans through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) program and has had many successes in helping veterans with sustained employment and training opportunities in the Champaign County area.” WIOA helps people, including veterans, access employment, education, training and support services and helps match employers with the skilled workers they need to compete in the global economy.

Personalized service for veterans
“We provide veterans very personalized service to meet their specific needs,” says Amy Sherman, OMJCC workforce supervisor. “We talk with them about barriers they have to employment, so we can make the connections to help them achieve success in the workforce.”

OMJCC partners with a network of community services to help veterans and their families address issues such as transportation, health care, medical disability, food insecurity, homelessness, or workforce reentry following prison. These partners include Champaign County Veterans Services, the VFW, DAV, CCDJFS, the Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Caring Kitchen, Champaign Transit and the Bridges Community Action Partnership.

“It’s the whole community working together for our veterans,” Orr says.
Stacy Cox, CCDJFS director, says, “Each member of the OhioMeansJobs team plays a part in serving each veteran. Other members of the team include Beth McFann, eligibility referral services II; Alyssa Theodor, eligibility referral services I; and Lindsey Guidera, social services worker I.

The benefits of hiring veterans
“Veterans bring a unique set of soft skills to employers – a work ethic second to none,” Orr says. “They come to work on time, are committed to work, and have skills in leadership that they bring to their communities and employers. It’s a big help to employers when they don’t have to deal with attendance and performance issues.”

Veterans also bring to the job specialized skills gained in their military service. Orr and the OMJCC team help veterans translate their military-gained skills and credentials to skills that local employers are looking for.

In accepting the cash award from OMJCC, Fred Williams, quartermaster of VFW Post 5451 and adjutant for DAV Chapter 31, said, “This award is a real blessing for the veterans we serve. We help local veterans any way we can, and this may help us restart our food bank.” He added that the VFW and DAV provide meals for veterans in need, provide an honor guard for veterans’ funerals and donate use of the VFW/DAV headquarters banquet hall for celebrations of life.

For more information, contact OMJCC at 937-484-1581. OMJCC is located in Suite J100 of the Champaign County Community Center, 1512 U.S. 68, Urbana. The office is open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Click the photo below to view RFP specifications and proposal document.

Champaign County Department of Job and Family Services (CCDJFS) is seeking proposals from qualified organizations to provide WIOA and CCMEP Youth Services. Proposals are to be submitted in an envelope and must adhere to the following requirements:

Proposals submitted to: Champaign County Commissioners
1512 S. US Hwy 68 Suite A-100
Urbana, Ohio 43078

Deadline for submission: Wednesday, May 20, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. EST
*Note: Late proposals WILL NOT be accepted.

Proposal Requirements: In a Sealed Envelope, clearly marked RFP Youth Services DJFS. Typewritten, single-spaced on 8.5” x 11” plain white paper. No longer than 30 pages including attachments.
5 copies submitted, each stapled in the upper left-hand corner. No binders, covers or coils permitted.

*Specifications and proposal documents can be found at https://www.champaigndjfs.org/news/category/rfp and are on file at, and be obtained from, the office of Champaign County Department of Job and Family Services, 1512 S. US Hwy 68, Suite N100 Urbana, Ohio 43078.

*CCDJFS reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to waive any defect in a proposal which does not materially alter the contract document.

*Please note CCCDJFS exempt from all Federal, State, and Local Sales and/or Excise Taxes.

*You may view this notice on the CCDJFS web site by going to https://www.champaigndjfs.org/news/category/rfp.

The Champaign County Department of Job and Family Services (CCDJFS) has launched an updated website, www.champaigndjfs.org, streamlined to make it easier for visitors to find and connect with the services they need.

CCDJFS Director Stacy Cox adds that the new website furthers the agency’s efforts over the last several years “to make our services more easily accessible to the public in person and online.” Digital access to services became increasingly important during the pandemic when offices were temporarily closed to the public.

The new website is less complicated than CCDJFS’s previous website so that visitors can locate the services and information they need faster – including OhioMeansJobs workforce services, financial and health assistance, child support, and family and children services, including adult protective services.

The website also features CCDJFS news, posts from the agency’s Facebook page, CCDJFS job opportunities, and links to email addresses for submitting applications and paperwork for services – to help those who prefer the convenience of online access.

Cox adds that the website also offers easy access to Champaign County’s Prevention, Retention and Contingency (PRC) plan and program application. PRC provides a wide range of temporary assistance to help qualified low-income families gain self-sufficiency.

Also on the website, CCDJFS is debuting a new logo. The logo reflects the scope of the agency’s services and the people it serves, Cox says. While the agency’s previous logo featured a stylized family – father, mother and children – the new, abstract logo symbolizes the agency’s broader reach, which includes single-parent families, senior citizens, children, as well as businesses and their employees through workforce development services.

Cox adds that the logo borrows from the colors CCDJFS uses in its annual awareness campaigns – blue, for child abuse prevention; purple, for elder abuse awareness; and green, for child support and fraud prevention.

“The logo interweaves the different programs and the different people we serve – not just families,” Cox said.