Applications for Ohio Farm Bureau Health Plans now available
Members have three ways to apply: contacting a certified agent, calling 833-468-4280 or visiting ohiofarmbureauhealthplans.org.
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To date, Ohio has borrowed $1.46 billion from the federal government to cover the state’s unemployment compensation costs, an unusually high tab that has been run up quickly due to the impacts of COVID-19.
Typically, employers foot the bill for this loan through the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA), which is used to pay for the federal administration of unemployment to provide funding for loans to states that have exhausted their unemployment system during times of high unemployment.
Ohio Farm Bureau joined together with other business industry leaders to bring awareness to the issue and asked the DeWine administration to look for ways to use resources from the American Rescue Plan to relieve already struggling Ohio employers from the burden of a looming IOU to the federal government.
To address this concern, Gov. Mike DeWine recommended to the General Assembly that Ohio use a portion of its federal COVID relief and recovery dollars to pay off the unemployment insurance loan.
“This loan was caused by the global pandemic, and paying it off now will free Ohio employers from this burden so they can instead focus on getting employees across our state back to work.,” DeWine said. “This will help small businesses owners and employees, and I look forward to working with our partners in the General Assembly on legislation to pay off the loan.”
If the state doesn’t select this method and the loan remains outstanding, Ohio Farm Bureau’s Director of State Policy Tony Seegers said every year the loan is outstanding, the FUTA tax credit is reduced by .3%, meaning Ohio’s employers pay an increasing amount, eventually reaching the full 6%, which equates to $420 per employee.
“For our members who are employers that pay the federal unemployment tax, using COVID relief funds for this loan gives them one less thing to worry about,” Seegers said. “To be frank, for those employers who are hanging on by a thread, this could be what makes or breaks their business from getting through this crisis, and we need as many businesses to succeed as possible.”
Ohio’s definition of agricultural employer is similar to that of the federal government’s definition. In the case of agricultural labor, the term “employer” means any person who paid wages of $20,000 or more for agricultural labor during any calendar quarter in the calendar year or the preceding calendar year, or employed at least 10 individuals in employment in agricultural labor for some portion of a day in each of the 20 different calendar weeks, in either the current or preceding calendar year whether or not the same individual was in employment in each day.
The DeWine administration emphasized that using federal dollars strategically to shore up Ohio’s unemployment system will also contribute to Ohio’s year of recovery.
My first recommendation in your journey is to start out with a local farming friend or mentor along with joining an organization like Ohio Farm Bureau.
We’re just so thankful for the Farm Bureau and the foundation for helping put this together. And of course, the Boyert family for the vision they had with this grant. It’s jumping us forward 10 years. It’s unbelievable.
I could not have done it without the resources I have found through Farm Bureau.
It wasn’t until I joined the Wilmington College Collegiate Farm Bureau that I truly saw how my passion could translate into leadership, advocacy and a career.
The issue of property taxation remains as one of the biggest challenges our members face today. Ensuring agricultural property is valued for its agricultural potential and not development is critical to the continued success of Ohio agriculture.
Through the Select Partner program, we became educated in farm insurance and weren't just selling policies. It became more and more clear why farmers need an advocate like Ohio Farm Bureau.
So many of the issues that OFBF and its members are advocating for are important to all Ohioans. I look at OFBF as an agricultural watchdog advocating for farmers and rural communities across Ohio.
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