Good Trouble, Good News: Families Stand Up to Surprise Home Inspections

Ohio disability families challenged unannounced home inspections, and now DODD has told county board SSAs: “You cannot just barge into someone’s house unannounced.”

Following incidents of unannounced home inspections of disabled people’s homes, two lawsuits have helped spur new guidance from DODD.

DODD’s previous guidance from Director Lyndsay Nash stated, “Monitoring can be announced or unannounced and such visits should allow the SSA reasonable access to all living space utilized by the waiver enrollee.”

There was never any law in the Ohio Revised Code or rule in the Ohio Administrative Code requiring disabled people to submit to unannounced home inspections without a warrant. The rule in effect at that time said that all visits must be at a time and place convenient to the individual with a disability. 

The federal civil rights case, which is still ongoing, tells some disturbing stories.

One of the plaintiffs in the case alleges that a county board SSA arrived without an appointment, rang the doorbell three times, and insisted she could come in whenever she wanted. The mother says she let the SSA in because she feared losing her daughter’s Medicaid waiver services. The SSA allegedly stood near the kitchen table, watched the family and their guests, and took notes about them in a notebook. After the incident, the mother reported she did not let her kids play in the front yard anymore that summer. She kept her garage door and front door closed.

Another one of the other plaintiffs is a teenage girl. She alleges that she answered the door while her parents and the disabled individual were not home. An SSA and a guardian’s representative wanted to come inside. The teenager repeatedly said no. According to the complaint, the guardian’s representative opened the screen door anyway, trying to enter. There were no adults at home. The teenager did not know who these people were or why they were demanding entry. According to the federal complaint, this incident left the teen girl and her family feeling shaken and upset.

These Ohio disability families are standing up for their right to feel safe at home.

DODD’s updated rule, effective July 1, 2026, is even clearer than the old rule. An unscheduled visit to a family home is allowed only when:

• Several documented attempts to contact the family have failed and the SSA has documented, supported concerns about the person’s health or safety; or

  
  

• The person receiving services or their guardian asks for the visit.

  
  

Even then, the SSA cannot enter without permission. If concerns continue after entry is refused, the rule directs the SSA to contact the proper protective authorities.

DODD’s new statewide SSA training couldn’t be clearer: “You cannot just barge into someone’s house unannounced.” The training also warns against entering when only minor children are home.

SSAs still have a duty to check on services. But that duty comes with real limits.

These Ohio families made good trouble by challenging government workers who crossed the line. The good news is that families across Ohio now have even clearer protections in the rule, plus a statewide training to point to when protecting their privacy.

People with developmental disabilities and their families deserve to feel safe in their own homes. Accepting a Medicaid waiver does not give county board workers the ability to violate your constitutional rights.

THANK YOU to the families who spoke out bravely and brought real change to Ohio. Way to go!