Public Records

Under Ohio law, you may request access to the public records of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS). ODJFS supervises the state’s public assistance (cash assistance, food assistance and child care), child and adult protection, child support and workforce development. ODJFS also administers unemployment compensation and is designated as the single state agency responsible for the administration of Ohio's Medicaid program.

You may request:

• Copies of public records or
• An opportunity to inspect them.

When making a public records request, you are NOT required to make your request in writing or give us your name, address or a reason for wanting the records. However, putting your request in writing and/or giving us your name, address and a reason for wanting the records may allow us to reply to your request more quickly.

Your request should be as clear and as specific as possible, to help us find and provide your records in a timely manner.

Non-Public Records

Many of the records ODJFS holds are confidential except to certain people. For instance, identifying information regarding applicants for or recipients of ODJFS-administered services or benefits is confidential pursuant to federal and state laws and regulations. These laws and regulations include Ohio Revised Code sections 149.43 (A) (I) (V), 5101.27 (public assistance), 5101.271 (medical assistance), 5101.29 (child care and foster care), 3107.17 (adoption), 3125.50 (child support), 2151.421 (child abuse/neglect complaints), 2151.141 (county child abuse/neglect investigatory file), and 4141.21 (unemployment). For those records, we will need your name and other information to ensure that we are not breaking the law by providing them to you.

To Request Records

If you wish to request a record from ODJFS, please send an email to legal@jfs.ohio.gov. ODJFS does not accept subpoenas via email and may charge a fee for copying, packaging and mailing the records, including $.05 per page for paper copies or the cost of computer discs or other equipment needed to copy the information to an electronic medium. ODJFS also may charge for the cost of computer time if the information must be downloaded from a computer system.

If you are or were a recipient of cash, food or medical assistance, child support services, or child welfare services, and you are seeking your own records, you may also submit your request to the county department of job and family services, county child support enforcement agency, or county public children services agency in the county where you lived at the time you applied for or received assistance or services. Note: The county agency, like ODJFS, will need verification of your identity. For the address and phone number of your county agency, click here.

If you have questions about records maintained by ODJFS, please call (614) 466-4605.