BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio – Children’s Services workers at the Belmont County Department of Job & Family Services (DJFS) traveled on multiple out-of-state trips, including to Hawaii, Las Vegas, California, Georgia and Virginia Beach for conferences, River News Network has confirmed.
Some workers also received cash bonuses.
Bill Teets, Communications Director with the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services (ODJFS) in Columbus, tells River News Network that in 2022, ODJFS made $15 million available to public children’s services agencies in Ohio to address workforce recruitment and retention.
Belmont County DJFS applied for and received approximately $40,000 of those Children’s Services Recruitment & Retention grant funds.
The grant was paid for with General Revenue Funds.
Teets told RNN that the money was not to be used for travel.
Belmont County’s application for grant funding included approximately $40,000 for conferences; however, the application did not specify the location of any conferences and did not indicate the use of funds for the travel to the conference. The funds were not intended to be used for travel expenses, regardless of whether that travel was in-state or out.
Bill Teets, Communications Director with the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services (ODJFS)
River Talk Radio host Dimitri Vassilaros broke the story in 2023 on Dimitri! Live & Dangerously Local!™️after Belmont County DJFS workers posted photos from these trips on social media.
The Ohio Department of Job & Family Services (ODJFS) was unaware that Belmont County DJFS used the funds for out-of-state travel until another local media outlet, which did not pursue the story, made an initial inquiry to the state about the travel.
River News Network revisited the story in 2024. For full disclosure the RNN News Director, Karen Fatula, was employed by Belmont County DJFS but resigned her position nearly 15 years ago.
RNN sent a Freedom of Information Act request to Jeff Felton, Director of Belmont County DJFS, concerning employee travel and received all documents requested.
Here is what we found:
- Belmont County DJFS Children’s Services workers received a total of $7,500 in retention bonuses for casework staff, including the screener. This was paid through Dec. 23, 2022
- The on-call duty workers received an extra $100 per day per worker
- Each of the two on-call supervisors received $2,000 in bonuses paid in March & June 2023
- Staff was afforded the opportunity to attend national & international conferences regarding child welfare from a list dated Nov. 2022 to June 2023
- Trainings were open to all children’s services staff including case aides, screeners, case managers, supervisors and administrators
The total cost for the bonuses and travel was $40,694.
Belmont County DJFS employees traveled across the county, even trekking to Hawaii. They went to Honolulu, Hawaii, staying at the Hawaii Convention Center on the island of Oahu. Other destinations included the Excalibur Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada as well as excursions to Palm Springs, California and Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The county’s grant application states that the workers were expected to inform other agency workers about what they learned during these conferences. The Hawaii conference was presented by the Institute on Violence, Abuse & Trauma. One of the training sessions in Hawaii included a track on “Native Hawaiian, Pacific islander and Indigenous Populations Trauma.” According to the latest U.S. Census figures for Belmont County, the number of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders living in the county is negligible, or just above zero. Other areas of emphasis at this Hawaii conference included homelessness, LGBTQIA+, Substance Abuse and Threat Assessment.
Teets tells RNN that ODJFS found no indication that the money was used to pay for family members to accompany workers of these trips.
However, Teets says the money was to be used for trainings and conferences, not travel. Although Teets says the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services told Belmont County DJFS that it should consider where it uses public resources in selecting future conference locations, the state agency chose not to seek reimbursement of the funds.
We were made aware in June 2023 of allegations that Belmont County had used the funds for out-of-state conference and did confirm approximately $40,000 was used. We also found no indication that any money was used to pay for family members. After reviewing the situation, we discussed with the county, that while the use of the grant for training was allowable, the intention was that it not be used for travel. We also discussed the need to consider in the future whether selecting certain conference locations is the best use of public resources, and to consider training opportunities that are virtual or closer. We decided not to seek reimbursement of any of the funds.
Bill Teets, Communications Director with the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services (ODJFS)
RNN reached out to Jeff Felton, Director of Belmont County DJFS, concerning the grant. He says the state approved the grant.
the grant was to assist counties recruiting and retaining child welfare staff. Many counties used these funds for signing bonuses and retention bonuses. As our staff had an average of over 15 years experience with little turnover, we decided to allow staff to attend conferences they would not normally be able to attend. This plan was approved by the state.
Jeff Felton, Director, Belmont County Department of Jon & Family Services
However, as stated above, Teets says Belmont County DJFS did not specify on its grant application that it planned to use the funds for travel to out-of-state conferences.
the application did not specify the location of any conferences and did not indicate the use of funds for the travel to the conference.
Bill Teets, Communications Director with the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services (ODJFS)
County agencies also had the choice to use grant fund to repay workers’ student loans, but there is no indication that Belmont County did that. Felton also remarked that his workers had an average of 15 years on the job.
Documents obtained from Belmont County DJFS by RNN show that seven children’s services workers traveled to Hawaii in April 2023 for this conference at an estimated cost of around $26,000.
Workers stayed five nights in Hawaii at $226 per night for a total of $1,132 per employee. They also stayed the first night of their trip in Columbus for $150 each, presumably to catch their flight the next day. It only takes 1 hour 42 minutes to travel from the Belmont County DJFS office in St. Clairsville to John Glenn International Airport in Columbus. The need for a night in Columbus is questionable.
Each of the seven county employees incurred the following expenses on the Hawaii trip:
- Registration $473
- Lodging/Parking $1,425
- Airfare $1,000
- Meals $300 ($50 x 6 days)
- Total per employee = $3,198
In addition, $2,800 was spent on rental cars and $825 on mileage.
Employees also attended other out-of-state trainings in Las Vegas, Palm Springs, California and Virginia Beach, for which travel was not an allowable expense per ODJFS. Despite acknowledging this and that Belmont County DJFS should consider geographically closer or remote trainings and how it uses public resources, the state will not ask the county to pay back the $40,000 it used on these trips.
You can watch RNN News Director Karen Fatula’s report on the Monday, Dec. 16 Dimitri! Live & Dangerously Local!™️Facebook page here.
