Ombudsman - Montgomery County, Ohio

08/25/2026

Meet our newest Assistant Ombudsman, Nick Hrkman! Nick was born and raised in Dayton, attended Dayton Public Schools, graduated from Ohio University and most recently worked as the Community Impact Editor for the Dayton Daily News. He’s excited to help you with your complaints.

07/29/2026

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when the Ombudsman Office staff gathered at Brixx Ice Co. last week to celebrate Kimberly Conner’s well-deserved retirement. During her nine years as an Assistant Ombudsman, she helped thousands of Montgomery County residents address their questions, concerns and complaints against government agencies. As a lifelong community advocate, she has made the Dayton area a better place to live. Wishing Kim much joy and happiness as she begins this new chapter in her life.

07/02/2026

06/04/2026

Confused? What is an OMBUDSMAN?

The institution of the OMBUDSMAN, first created in Sweden more than 200 years ago, is designed to provide protection for the individual where there is a substantial imbalance of power. Initially, this imbalance was between the citizen and the state but as the institution has developed, it has embraced other sectors.

Locally, The Ombudsman Office investigates citizen complaints about government agencies for residents of Montgomery County, Ohio and advocates for the right of residents of long term care facilities, assisted living facilities and group homes in a nine county area (Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Logan, Miami, Montgomery, Preble and Shelby).

For more information or to file a complaint, please call (937) 223-4613.

05/21/2026

Several weeks ago, a woman contacted the Ombudsman because she had been the victim of fraud. The woman receives Supplemental Food Assistance for her family of four in the amount of just over $500 per month. In that month, all her benefits were taken through online fraudulent activity. All her benefits were spent at midnight at a large grocery corporation in the state of Arizona.

She received another EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) card the next day and filed a police report. When she contacted the Department of Job and Family Services about the event, she was told to get a new card and to go to a food pantry. The replacement of SNAP benefits ended at the close of 2024 because the government did not approve funding beyond December 2024.

The victim of such fraud is to report the fraud, request a new card, and lock their card until they want to use it. Recipients are encouraged to select the “lock card everywhere option” until they use the card to reduce the risk of benefits being stolen.

Fortunately, our county has numerous sources for our neighbors to obtain food in such an unfortunate circumstance as the family defrauded of their food assistance benefit. The Ombudsman Office was able to make referrals and then followed up with the family.

The Ombudsman column is a production of the Joint Office of Citizens’ Complaints that summarizes selected problems that citizens have had with government services, schools and nursing homes in the Dayton area.

Contact the Ombudsman by writing to 11 W. Monument Ave., Suite 606, Dayton, OH 45402, call 937-223-4613, or by email ombudsman@ dayton-ombudsman.org.

05/14/2026

Last month a woman called the Ombudsman to complain about her high water bills. She stated that, as advised by the water department, she had several plumbers come to her home to check her residence for leaks, and none were found.

She said her bills are normally $157 per quarter. Then she received a bill for $445, then the next one was almost $700. The woman is 89-years-old and cannot continue to pay the increasing bills.

The Ombudsman requested the account history for the property. The quarterly usage was normally eight CCF or so. Then it increased to 56 CCF, then 46 CCF and most recently 81 CCF. A CCF, or centum cubic feet, is a unit of measurement for water usage on utility bills, representing 100 cubic feet of water. It is equivalent to 748 gallons. The water department agreed to send a representative out to check the reads and the meter.

The Ombudsman helped arrange a day and time for the representative to visit the woman’s home. When the visit took place, the woman informed the representative that she had the toilets repaired when the plumbers she called came out to inspect.

Toilets are frequently the cause of such water usage increases.

The representative said when water travels down the sanitary drain, there is no credit given for the usage. The woman was relieved to know that the excess water usage and accompanying high bills would cease.

Posted in Dayton Daily News on 5-14-26
The Ombudsman column is a production of the Joint Office of Citizens’ Complaints that summarizes selected problems that citizens have had with government services, schools and nursing homes in the Dayton area.

NEED SUPPORT? CONTACT THE OMBUDSMAN
Postal mail: 11 W. Monument Ave., Suite 606, Dayton, OH 45402
Phone: 937-223-4613
Email: [email protected]

05/12/2026

One of our interns at the Ombudsman Office handled a recent case for a Navy veteran. The man received a notice that his Medicaid benefits would stop in the following month, and he did not understand the reason.
The man was truly frightened at losing his health-care coverage because he is recovering from Stage 3 lung cancer and related health problems. The VA will cover his immunotherapy for another year, as well as his oxygen. But he will be losing his home health aides and some other vital services if his Medicaid is not restored.

After receiving the man’s documents, it could be determined that significant sources of the man’s income were missing from his recertification paperwork. This led to the determination that he was no longer eligible for Medicaid coverage.
He was able to turn in income documents within the 90-day period so his case could be reopened, and he did not have to reapply. The man was grateful for the quick assistance.

The Ombudsman column is a production of the Joint Office of Citizens’ Complaints that summarizes selected problems that citizens have had with government services, schools and nursing homes in the Dayton area.