Ohio Department of Aging urged to confront turnover, communication problems

A new report released Thursday shows that the Ohio Department of Aging, the state agency that helps seniors, faces problems with employees leaving their jobs and with communication with local groups and the public.

According to an audit by the Ohio Auditor of State’s office, only one out of every three people who worked at ODA in 2019 were still employed there in 2024. The number of employees leaving has caused issues for the agency, making it more difficult to talk to local organizations that help seniors and to provide services effectively, according to the audit’s findings.

Auditor of State Keith Faber said, “Ohio seniors rely on the services that are funded through ODA. It’s important that this agency address these issues immediately.”

The audit found that ODA's employee turnover rate exceeded that of other state offices in six of the last eight years. Despite 125 people leaving ODA between 2017 and 2024, the agency only had information on why two of them left, indicating a lack of insight into the reasons for departures.

The audit found that the elevated turnover has made it challenging for ODA to communicate clearly, both within its own offices and with the local Area Agencies on Aging, which are groups around the state that offer programs for people aged 60 and older. Many of these local agencies told auditors they were unhappy with ODA's communication, saying it was hard to get quick answers to questions and that important changes weren't clearly explained.

The audit team also reported trouble getting information from ODA, sometimes being told that information did not exist, only for it to be provided later. This lack of clear information made the audit process take more time and incur additional expense.

The audit offered suggestions for ODA to improve, including:

Create more defined plans: ODA's current plans for helping seniors are excessively broad and need to be more specific to what the agency can control.

Release required reports: ODA has not released an annual report on complaints and issues from residents since before 2020, even though it's required.

Collect improved data: ODA needs to collect and use more information, such as how many older Ohioans are using different services and waitlists in various regions, to help with decision-making.

The Ohio Department of Aging was created in 1984 and primarily provides funding to the Area Agencies on Aging, which then offer local programs for seniors.

A search of the department's website did not come up with a phone number for a media contact. However, Governor DeWine's office did provide an email address.

Director McElroy’s Client Response Letter may be found starting on page 64 of the report online.

The full audit report can be found online at ohioauditor.gov/auditsearch/search.aspx.