Employee Handbook

Welcome to Reliance Care Solutions. We are an Ohio-based, minority-owned home care and DODD-certified agency serving adults and children on Medicaid waivers and private-pay families across Northwest Ohio. Our promise is simple: reliable staff, dependable care, quality life.

This handbook describes the policies, expectations, and protections that apply to every Reliance team member. Read it carefully. It is your first reference when a question comes up on shift, in the office, or at home.

Employment with Reliance Care Solutions is at-will. Either you or Reliance may end the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause, and with or without notice. Nothing in this handbook, on our website, or in any spoken statement creates an employment contract or a guarantee of continued employment.

Only the President/CEO can enter into an employment agreement that modifies at-will status, and only in writing signed by both parties.

Reliance Care Solutions is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, ancestry, age (40 or older), military or veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, Ohio, or local law, including Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4112. Reliance Care Solutions participates in a drug-free workplace program and provides reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs. Employment is at-will. To request an accommodation during the application process, contact HR at hr@reliancecaresolutions.com.

Harassment of any kind — including sexual harassment, racial harassment, and harassment based on any other protected characteristic — is prohibited and will result in discipline up to and including termination. Report concerns immediately to your coordinator, to HR at hr@reliancecaresolutions.com, or by calling 419-704-0316. Retaliation against anyone who reports harassment or participates in an investigation is strictly forbidden.

Reliance provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs, unless doing so would cause undue hardship. To request an accommodation for the application process, for a shift, or for ongoing work, contact HR in writing at hr@reliancecaresolutions.com. We will engage in a good-faith interactive process to identify a workable solution.

Every staff member represents Reliance in the client's home, in the community, and online. You are expected to:

• Show up on time, in uniform, with a clean ID badge visible.
• Treat every client, family member, coworker, and community member with dignity and respect.
• Follow the care plan exactly. Never freelance clinical or behavioral decisions.
• Use professional language. No profanity, gossip, or inappropriate jokes on shift.
• Keep your phone put away except for care-related documentation or an emergency.

Client information is protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Ohio law, and DODD Rule 5123. You may access, discuss, or share client information only as required to do your job.

• Never discuss a client by name in a public place.
• Never take a photo or video of a client, their home, or their belongings without written authorization.
• Never post about clients on any social media platform, ever, even without names.
• Report suspected HIPAA breaches to your coordinator within 24 hours.

Every client has the right to be free from abuse, neglect, exploitation, seclusion, and unauthorized restraint. Any suspicion of any of these must be reported immediately under the incident-reporting policy below.

Our clients depend on their scheduled staff. If you cannot make a shift, call your coordinator directly as soon as you know — at minimum two hours before shift start, and by phone (not text, not email, not app message).

• No-call/no-show is grounds for immediate termination.
• Chronic late arrivals or last-minute call-offs are progressive discipline.
• PTO or shift-swap requests go through the coordinator, not client families.

Timesheets and progress notes are Medicaid billing documents. Falsifying them — clocking in for time not worked, copying yesterday's note into today's slot, documenting services you did not deliver — is Medicaid fraud. It is grounds for immediate termination and possible criminal referral.

• Clock in when you arrive at the client, clock out when you leave.
• Write the note on the day of service. Note the specific tasks you did.
• If you were not there, do not sign for it.

Reliance is a drug-free workplace. Reporting to work under the influence of alcohol, marijuana (including recreational or medical), or any unauthorized controlled substance is prohibited.

You may be required to submit to drug and alcohol testing at hire, after a workplace incident, on reasonable suspicion, or at random. Refusing a test, or testing positive for an unauthorized substance, is grounds for termination.

Ohio DODD and CMS require the following before you provide direct care and at the intervals set by law:

• BCI (Ohio) and FBI (federal) fingerprint background checks.
• Ohio Abuser Registry check.
• OIG List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (LEIE) and SAM.gov exclusion check.
• Ohio Nurse Aide Registry (for STNAs).
• BMV driving record if you transport clients.

You must self-report any arrest, conviction, license action, or exclusion within three business days. Failure to self-report is grounds for termination.

Under DODD rules, certain events require reporting as a Major Unusual Incident (MUI) or Unusual Incident (UI). Report the following to your coordinator immediately (before leaving shift, and always within four hours):

• Any suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation, or misappropriation.
• Medication errors or missed medications.
• Falls, injuries, ER visits, hospitalizations.
• Elopement, missing person, or law-enforcement involvement.
• Aggressive behavior, self-injury, or use of restraint.
• Any death.

Reliance files the MUI/UI with the county board and DODD. Your job is to report, document accurately, and cooperate fully with the investigation.

You must keep your certifications current at all times. Reliance provides paid orientation and paid CEUs for the following, as applicable to your role:

• DSP initial and annual training (Ohio DODD).
• CPR and First Aid (American Heart Association or Red Cross).
• Medication Administration (Category 1, 2, or 3 as authorized).
• HIPAA and client rights training.
• Bloodborne pathogens (OSHA).
• Any client-specific training on the ISP.

If your certification lapses, you cannot be scheduled until it is renewed.

Never post client names, photos, addresses, medical details, or identifying stories on any social platform, whether the account is public or private. Reliance-branded photos and videos are approved only through the marketing coordinator. Personal complaints about Reliance, clients, or coworkers on social media may be grounds for discipline.

If you transport clients, your vehicle must be insured, registered, and inspected. You must maintain a valid Ohio driver's license and a clean driving record. Report any accident, ticket, or license suspension within 24 hours.

Client funds are handled only under a written authorization on the ISP. Never spend client money without documentation. Never mix client funds with your own. Return every receipt.

Non-exempt staff are paid for all time worked. Overtime is paid at 1.5x your regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. Off-the-clock work is prohibited — if you worked it, clock it, and we will pay it.

Reliance follows Ohio and federal law for breaks. Meal periods of 30 minutes or more, when duty-free, are unpaid. If you are required to remain with a client during a meal, you are paid for that time.

PTO accrual, eligibility, and payout rules are described in your offer letter and updated in your portal. Reliance observes major federal holidays; premium pay is described in the pay policy.

Reliance complies with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) for eligible employees, Ohio Military Family Leave for eligible employees, jury duty, voting leave, and pregnancy/parental accommodations as required by law. Contact HR to request a leave.

Report every workplace injury to your coordinator immediately, even if you think it is minor. Reliance carries Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) coverage. Failure to report timely may affect your BWC claim. Follow universal precautions and bloodborne-pathogens protocol on every shift.

Reliance will not retaliate against any employee for reporting suspected illegal activity, unsafe conditions, Medicaid fraud, wage-hour violations, harassment, or MUI/UI events, or for cooperating with any government investigation. You are protected under federal and Ohio whistleblower laws (including Ohio Revised Code § 4113.52).

For most policy issues, Reliance uses progressive discipline: verbal warning, written warning, final warning, and termination. Serious violations — including abuse or neglect, theft, Medicaid fraud, no-call/no-show, positive drug test, HIPAA breach, threats, or falsification of records — may result in immediate termination without prior warnings.

If you believe a policy was applied unfairly or a workplace concern is not being addressed, you may file a grievance in writing to HR at hr@reliancecaresolutions.com. HR will respond within seven business days. You may escalate to the President/CEO if unresolved.

On separation for any reason, you must return all Reliance property before your final pay is released: ID badge, uniform items, keys, phone, tablet, training materials, and any client-related documentation. Final wages are paid on the next regular payday per Ohio law.