The Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities has begun rolling out the new OhioISP This link opens a different website in a new tab. for people whose current individual service plans have start dates in the autumn or later.

“The vision of this is that it will be an ongoing process,” said Lee Childs, FCBDD service coordination director. “It won’t just be an annual plan; it will be fluid throughout the year, so if people’s needs change, it will always be up to date.”

Franklin is the first of the state’s county boards to begin using the OhioISP, which standardizes the ISP format across Ohio. The transition is to be complete throughout Ohio by September 2023.

“Until now, we’ve had 88 county boards and hundreds of ICF providers that write their plans very differently, so it’s challenging for individuals who move from one county to another, or from one SSA (service and support administrator) to another,” said Kelly Mosley-Miller, a deputy director at the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities. “It must be extremely difficult for families, but also for providers. Expectations are different. We wanted to standardize that.”

Though the format is becoming less variable, the plan itself is designed to be more personalized than ever, reflecting the uniqueness of each individual. State officials say the core idea is that people receiving services should be at the center of the planning process, making decisions about how they want to live their lives and guiding their support teams toward that vision.

“Person-centered is the buzz, but it’s true,” Childs said. “The previous format did not always get to that depth, and maybe it didn’t gather all the right information. I think this tool does draw that out, so that we can develop better plans to help people reach the best outcomes.”

Crystal Schneider, staff development training coordinator for the FCBDD Service Coordination Department, said the shift is a big one for families and for staff. “Our current plan has looked more at the deficits; this is focused on people’s strengths,” she said. “It’s a living document. We will likely see more revisions and changes and updates along the way.”