The Ohio Housing Finance Agency OHFA Home Page

Table of Content

• Current suppliers serving residential, commercial & industrial customers
• Hamilton County Senior Patient Navigation
• Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) Options Counseling
• Population Health Management – Diabetic HEDIS
• OHFA Partners with Esusu to Help Residents Build Credit Scores
• What is the Switching Process in Energy Choice Ohio Natural Gas?

By doing this you are exercising your rights under the Energy Choice Ohio program. If you have the Standard Choice Offer with your utility, you are not taking advantage of energy choice Ohio. Your rate changes monthly and is totally out of your control.

Individuals seeking long-term services and supports sometimes struggle with where and how to find resources. The SEP Program creates a one-stop shop for finding these resources. CareStar’s trained navigators guide Ohioans through the eligibility process for State funded services, including the completion of a standardized long-term service and supports questionnaire and Support Navigation. As a SEP Agency, CareStar completes referrals to appropriate Ohio programs and provides community resources for identified needs based on the LTSSQ determination. CareStar provides continued support navigation and follow-up to the individuals until they have been linked to the appropriate services or provided the needed resources to make an informed decision on their care. When a nursing facility resident has expressed an interest in receiving more information about the possibility of returning to a home and community-based setting, a referral is made for Community Living Services .

Current suppliers serving residential, commercial & industrial customers

HomeChoice was developed as a response to underserved individuals who have waivers but struggle to find providers to service their needs. Each year, thousands of hours of services go unused by waiver recipients, and HomeChoice was developed to help individuals and families to fully utilize their waiver benefits. Administered by CMS, a QIO-like Organization is made up of a group of expert healthcare clinicians and professionals contracted to complete utilization reviews and analyze patterns of care related to medical necessity and quality review. State Medicaid Agencies and organizations contracting with CareStar for QIO-like services are eligible for an enhanced Federal match of funds up to 75 percent. The QIO-like Certification is one of CMS’s most significant programs to improve quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery.

HomeChoice is a completely FREE, online system for Consumer Directed Services which allows Individuals to take full control of their services and self direct the care they receive. CareStar is proud to be Quality Improvement Organization-like (QIO-like) certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services . As a leader in Case Management, Assessment, Technology and Software Development, CareStar uses this Certification to assist our customers with quality assurance, improved healthcare outcomes and reduced costs.

Hamilton County Senior Patient Navigation

CareStar assists individuals diagnosed with Diabetes, to obtain maximum health. The goal of this program is to assist in removing barriers to healthcare and decreasing their HbA1c levels to below nine . By focusing on all conditions surrounding the individual and providing interventions that address the social determinants of health, CareStar can improve the health of the diabetic population. You’ve made the choice to shop for your natural gas supplier in Ohio.

You can also visit the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio's website for an apples to apples comparison of suppliers. This calculator helps you compare your current bill and a potential bill from CHOICE® suppliers. The Detail Charges section of your bill shows your Delivery and Supply Charges.

Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) Options Counseling

As of March 2020, CareStar is one of 76 organizations to hold this certification nationally. Our voluntary CHOICE® program offers you the option to purchase the natural gas you use from a certified supplier instead of Columbia Gas. If you choose to purchase your gas from a different supplier, we will continue to deliver the same reliable service to your home or business, read your meter, perform safety checks and respond to emergencies.

Individuals and family members/guardian will work with the long-term care facility and HOME Choice transition staff to apply, discuss options and coordinate services and supports. CareStar has partnered with Managed Care Plans to complete telephonic and in-person Health Risk Assessments, Health Needs Assessments and care planning for eligible members. CareStar completes the assessments to gather updated health history and to determine if there are any identified health or social service needs. Risks identified for the individual during the assessment are reported for additional care management follow-up. CareStar is committed to helping identify an individual’s needs and providing resources when necessary.

Community Living Services (CLS)

If you choose not to participate, your supplier will not change and there is no change in your bill. Since many suppliers require you to agree to contract terms, you’ll want to know contract length and if you can cancel. Shawn Smith, Executive Director of OHFA, was elected to the National Council of State Housing Agencies Board of Directors during the annual conference in Houston. Board officers and directors are nominated from among and voted on by the executive directors of the member state housing finance agencies.

The Program provides assessments, ongoing case management and navigation services, as well as some Peer Support and Supported Employment services, to those enrolled in the Program. CareStar has been a Statewide provider in this Program since its inception and has seen it grow to currently serve more than 8,000 individuals. We work with only high quality providers and get the best OH natural gas rates for you. We’ve already done the comparison shopping, so you don’t have to! And, we only show fixed rate plans, so you don’t have to worry about getting that surprise bill.

CareStar receives referrals from the Ohio Department of Medicaid to meet with individuals residing in nursing facilities to provide information and community resources to help residents make informed decisions about transition planning. Since 2016, CareStar has partnered with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to provide Case Management and Assessment services to eligible individuals. The goal of the partnership is to help individuals living with and managing their Multiple Sclerosis, set goals for and receive appropriate care, support, and safety to improve their independence and quality of life. For each individual, CareStar will perform an initial assessment, develop a person-centered care plan, link the individual with caregivers and resources, and follow-up to ensure the plan is being executed and accomplished. The Specialized Recovery Services Program began in Ohio in 2016 providing Medicaid healthcare insurance for Ohio residents with qualifying medical or mental health diagnoses, who may not otherwise qualify for Medicaid healthcare insurance. In 2017, individuals with Diagnosed Chronic Conditions were added to the populations served under this program.

The new Housing Tax Credit Resident Profile looks at the demographics of the more than 173,000 residents living in affordable rental units in 2021 that were funded using the federal Housing Tax Credit program. This information will help OHFA and its partners determine where needs are being met and where gaps remain. Require significant behavioral health treatment needs, measured using the Ohio Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths assessment. "We work with people, communities, and organizations to help older adults and people with disabilities live independently and enjoy the highest quality of life possible."

If you participate in CHOICE®, your Delivery Charges will not change but your Supply Charges would change based on the rate provided by your new supplier. Use the calculator and supplier list below to make an educated decision. Our CHOICE® calculator can help you evaluate pricing options for your gas supply costs. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio lists full current approved suppliers and eligibility. The prices charged by suppliers are set by a competitive market, meaning there is no guarantee that you’ll save money, but they may offer pricing and special incentives. If you’d like to enroll, shop around and make your CHOICE®.