Two days after recovery housing providers traveled to Columbus and testified at the October 20 public hearing, the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health released another revised rule package.
The changes are significant.
ORRPA’s review found that 9 of our requests were fully adopted, 7 were partially adopted, and at least 8 of our proposed redlines were incorporated nearly word for word.
For a new provider association, that is a major victory—and proof that organized provider advocacy works.
What Changed for Providers
These are not merely technical edits. Several revisions could directly affect how recovery homes operate every day.
Live-in house managers are protected.
The revised definition of “staff” applies to nonresidents. That distinction is important because resident house managers and senior residents often perform leadership, accountability, drug-screening, documentation, and household-management functions without becoming conventional employees.
Different recovery housing models are better recognized.
The revised definitions now provide greater recognition of house managers and senior residents. Peer-run housing may also receive limited organizational support without automatically losing its peer-run classification.
Resident choice and telehealth are preserved.
Residents may independently receive clinical, medical, telehealth, maternal-health, case-management, and other individualized services that would ordinarily be appropriate in someone’s home. A recovery residence should not become a treatment facility simply because a resident attends a virtual appointment or receives an appropriate home-based service.
Termination requirements are more flexible.
DBH moved away from a universal 30-day continued-residency requirement and now relies more heavily on applicable accreditation standards. The revised rule also recognizes circumstances in which continued substance use creates a documented danger to others.
The bedroom maximum increased.
DBH increased the proposed limit from four residents per bedroom to six. This may preserve beds in some residences, although ORRPA continues to advocate for capacity to be determined by square footage and applicable building, fire, occupancy, and emergency-egress requirements rather than an arbitrary per-room cap.
The sealed-conviction disclosure requirement was removed.
This is an important improvement for people in recovery whose past experiences may make them especially effective leaders, mentors, and employees.
The Work Is Not Finished
Several important concerns remain unresolved.
ORRPA is continuing to seek clarity regarding annual fire inspections, contradictory background-check provisions, bedroom capacity, and the lack of a meaningful good-faith remediation process for providers working to comply.
Certified providers should not lose beds—or be pushed toward severe enforcement consequences—because of unclear requirements, correctable mistakes, or rules that do not account for the differences among recovery housing models.
When certified capacity is reduced, residents do not stop needing housing. They may instead be pushed toward uncertified and less accountable settings. That is not the outcome Ohio should want.
What Happens Next
The revised rules have been refiled with the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review and are expected to appear on JCARR’s November 16 agenda.
The emergency rules that became effective on August 10 remain in effect while the permanent package moves toward the December 9 deadline.
ORRPA will continue monitoring every revision, communicating with DBH and JCARR, and preparing providers for implementation of the final rules.
This Is Why ORRPA Exists
Recovery housing providers came together. They identified operational problems, proposed workable language, submitted written testimony, and appeared in Columbus to explain how the rules would affect both providers and residents.
Ohio listened.
We still have work to do, but we have already shown what is possible when recovery housing providers speak with a coordinated voice.
Join ORRPA and help shape what comes next.
