Rep. Dovilla responds to Auditor’s Medicaid verification gap findings: ‘Ohio shouldn’t be writing the check’

State Rep. Mike Dovilla, the fiscal hawk who has pressed for responsible oversight of Medicaid spending, announced new legislative priorities following Auditor Keith Faber’s latest report, exposing that Ohio is still paying benefits it cannot fully document.

Faber’s public-interest review, released last Thursday, examined how the Ohio Department of Medicaid and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services verified citizenship and immigration status in November 2025.

That report exposed that the citizenship or immigration status of 10% of sampled Medicaid recipients could not be verified or confirmed as eligible legal residents. Ohio Works First showed a 3% error rate. Other public-benefit programs generally fared better.

“I am very concerned that we continue to find that Medicaid misses the mark when confirming eligibility for this vital program,” Auditor Faber said. “Where the other programs we sampled are doing a good job in this area, Medicaid continues to falter.”

If Ohio can’t verify that someone is eligible for Medicaid, Ohio shouldn’t be writing the check.

The @OhioAuditor just exposed a serious hole in our system. I’ll introduce legislation requiring real-time data matching, documented eligibility verification, and independent audits.… https://t.co/iOH2elcuZi

— Rep. Mike Dovilla (@mikedovilla) August 27, 2026

Dovilla, noting that the findings signal a failure of basic fiscal controls, said it’s time to stop the waste and put Ohioans first.

“If Ohio can’t verify that someone is eligible for Medicaid, Ohio shouldn’t be writing the check,” Dovilla, R-Berea, said. “The Auditor just exposed a serious hole in our system. I’ll introduce legislation requiring real-time data matching, documented eligibility verification, and independent audits. Stop the waste. Protect taxpayers and put Ohioans first.”

The auditor’s office also recommended stronger rules for maintaining and sharing data among agencies that administer public benefits. Faber’s release noted that even modest error rates in large programs can produce significant losses.

A federal law signed in July 2025 added new restrictions on Medicaid eligibility tied to citizenship and immigration status. Ohio Medicaid is expected to review about 111,000 beneficiaries beginning around Oct. 1.

Dovilla said the latest audit builds on work already written into state law. In 2025 he introduced House Bill 356, which targeted independent review of the Aged, Blind, and Disabled Medicaid eligibility group, identification of improper payments, stronger asset verification, and corrective action. That language was later incorporated into House Bill 96, the state operating budget, and enacted.

Following the latest audit results  however, Dovilla said it’s clear there’s more work to do.

“This is exactly why eligibility verification cannot be treated as a paperwork exercise,” Dovilla added. “We have already taken meaningful steps to strengthen oversight, but the Auditor’s findings make clear there is more work to do. Medicaid exists to serve people who qualify for assistance. Every dollar improperly paid because the state failed to verify eligibility is a dollar taxpayers were forced to provide without adequate accountability.”

According to a study released in May by the national disability rights group, Able Americans, when Medicaid dollars are diverted through improper billing, undelivered services or weak oversight, both taxpayers and legitimate recipients suffer.

Dovilla, expressing concerns that Ohio is squandering these vital resources, and weakening available services for those in need without adequate eligibility requirements in place, said he will pursue additional legislation during the coming legislative session.

That legislative push is aimed at requiring real-time matching across state and federal databases, clear documentation before eligibility is approved or renewed, and independent auditing of the state’s verification processes.

The audit is separate from the earlier 2025-26 findings that initially exposed Medicaid eligibility risks, including payments tied to deceased recipients.