The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) has a Major Unusual Incidents Registry Unit which is charged with providing oversight to Ohio's health and welfare quality improvement system.
The MUI unit strives to work cooperatively with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, families, county boards, and providers to protect Ohioans, highlighting that all incidents are important and investigated.
Unusual incidents (UIs) are investigated by providers, and major unusual incidents (MUIs) are investigated by county boards of developmental disabilities or developmental center investigators.
What is an MUI
An MUI is an incident that someone says happened or says someone told them about that puts a person's health and welfare at risk.
What is a UI
A UI is an incident that is not consistent with a person's care or service plan and is not an MUI.
Why are MUIs Reported
MUIs are reported so they can be investigated. The investigation will help find out why the incident happened and what can be done to keep it from happening again. The goal is to help people be safe.
When are MUIs Reported?
MUIs are reported immediately or within 24 hours based on MUI type.
MUIs and UIs Differences
UIs are not as serious as MUIs but need to be investigated to be sure everyone is safe and to try to keep it from happening again.
All MUIs must be investigated by county boards or developmental centers, but some require law enforcement and other agencies to be involved.
Types of MUIs
Ohio Administrative Code 5123-17-02 states the 19 MUI classifications:
Accidental or Suspicious Death Attempted Suicide Exploitation Failure to Report
Law Enforcement
Medical Emergency Misappropriation Missing Individual Neglect
Non-Accidental or Suspicious Death
Peer-to-Peer Act Physical Abuse
Prohibited Sexual Relations Rights Code Violation Sexual Abuse
Significant Injury Unanticipated Hospitalizations Unapproved Behavior Support Verbal Abuse
Who Must Report MUIs
All providers who are contracted, certified, or licensed to serve people with developmental disabilities are required
to report MUIs to the person’s county
board.
All county board staff and DODD staff are required to report MUIs.
Anyone paid to provide Medicaid waiver services must report MUIs.
Who Receives MUIs
An MUI contact person at a county board or developmental center can receive the report.
DODD has a hotline: 1-866-313-6733.
Role of Family Members
Family members should report things that affect the health and safety (such as abuse, neglect, theft) of a person with developmental disabilities to the
service and support administrator (SSA),
MUI contact,
or DODD MUI hotline.
Family members also work with the person’s team to address concerns to prevent future incidents.
To report an MUI, call your county board MUI contact person. County board contacts can be found on DODD’s website, dodd.ohio.gov.
Or, contact the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities at the Abuse and Neglect Hotline:
You can also report abuse or neglect through
DODD’s only reporting system at dodd.ohio.gov.
My MUI Contact Information
County:
Hocking
Email:
Contact:
Angie Boyle: 740-385-6805 ext. 246
Secondary Contact:
Beth Hackney: 740-385-6805 ext. 242
After-hours/On-Call:
1-877-316-9841
A person's provider completes immediate actions to protect the person's health and safety.
Notifies legal guardian same day as the incident.
Parents who are not the person's legal guardians may only be notified with approval by the son, daughter, or the legal guardian.
Notifies the county board no later than four hours after the incident when the allegation is Abuse, Accidental or Suspicious Death, Exploitation, Misappropriation, Neglect, Peer-to-Peer Act, Prohibited Sexual Relations, or if the media has inquired about it.
Notifies law enforcement and/or children services of alleged crime if abuse or neglect is suspected and the person is younger than 21.
Shares the written incident report with the county board by 3 PM on first working day following the day they become aware.
Takes all reasonable measures to ensure health and safety are taken; sees if other actions are necessary.
Notifies law enforcement and/or children services of alleged crime if abuse or neglect is suspected and the person is younger than 21.
Submits a report in DODD's Incident Tracking System by 5 PM the next working day following notification.
Conducts investigation, which identifies causes and contributing factors, so the team can address in the person's prevention plan.
Communicates preliminary findings with the person, their guardian, and provider within 14 working days of alleged sexual or physical abuse, if the case is not conducted by children services or law enforcement.
Sends a summary letter to guardian and residential provider five calendar days after the county board has recommended the case for closure.
DODD's intake unit reviews all initial reports to ensure that immediate actions have occurred, notifications are made, and the MUIs have been classified appropriately.
Conducts investigations where it is a conflict for county boards to do so.
Reviews cases prior to closure to ensure appropriate causes and contributing factors have been identified and that a prevention plan has been developed.
Other Responsibilities
Manages the Abuser Registry.
Conducts MUI training for people with disabilities, families, county boards, and providers.
Creates Health and Welfare Alerts.
Assesses statewide patterns and trends about MUIs.
Conducts mortality reviews.
Visit dodd.ohio.gov and check out the Health and Welfare page.
