All 50 state notices remain on publication hold.
This is independent public-interest research, not legal advice, an official agency form, attorney-reviewed material or certified legal guidance. A notice does not initiate an appeal, pause a deadline, prevent an investigation or override court authority. Follow the actual notice and verify the current law, agency rules, recipient and delivery method.
Indiana — 30-day administrative appeal, followed by a separate hearing stage
What the current DCS policy establishes
- Indiana DCS Child Welfare Policy 2.05, effective January 1, 2026, Version 9, states that a person identified as the perpetrator in a substantiated child abuse/neglect assessment has a right to request an Administrative Appeal Hearing.
- The necessary request documents must be submitted to DCS Hearings and Appeals within 30 calendar days of the date on the notice about the right to an administrative appeal. The policy allows an additional three days for mail time. If the request is received on a weekend or state holiday, the next business day is treated as the receipt date.
- Requests may be emailed to hearingsandappeals@dcs.in.gov or mailed/hand-delivered to DCS Hearings and Appeals, 302 W. Washington St., E-306, Indianapolis, IN 46204. The current policy directs DCS to forward timely, complete requests to the Office of Administrative Law Proceedings for an administrative law judge/hearing officer.
- The hearing is generally to be held within 90 calendar days after receipt of the request, unless stayed or continued. A special 20-calendar-day hearing timeframe applies when the substantiated assessment concerns a DCS employee or child-care worker, unless waived in writing.
- Indiana Code §31-33-26-8 independently says the perpetrator's request to contest classification must be received no more than 30 days after service of notice under IC 4-21.5-3-1(b), with an exception for excusable neglect or fraud. The DCS policy's extra three mail days should be described as the agency's stated computation rule, not as a change to the statutory service trigger.
- Earlier DCS policies described a local-office administrative review step before an administrative hearing. The current Policy 2.05 and current forms should be followed; the older 2009/2020 policy PDFs found in search are historical and should not be copied into a current notice without confirming their continued applicability.
Audit action / remaining hold
Use the actual DCS notice and current Policy 2.05/2.01 forms to identify exactly which documents are required and the service date. The 30-day deadline is now verified; do not conflate it with the 90-day target for holding the hearing or the special 20-day hearing timeframe.
Indiana DCS Policy 2.05 — Administrative Appeal Hearings (effective Jan. 1, 2026) · Historical DCS policy 2.1 (2009; not current deadline authority) · IC 31-33-26-8
Kentucky — 30-day appeal window measured from the postmark of the finding notice
What the current regulations establish
- Current 922 KAR 1:330 distinguishes findings including unsubstantiated, substantiated, child fatality/near fatality, services needed, no finding and closed. It expressly says a Cabinet finding is not a judicial finding.
- When the finding is substantiated, the Cabinet must send the alleged/identified perpetrator a notice by certified mail to the last known address. The notice must state the factual basis and investigation results, explain the appeal right, and advise that the person's name will be added to the Central Registry under 922 KAR 1:470.
- Under current 922 KAR 1:480 §3(3), a written appeal must be submitted to the Cabinet no later than 30 calendar days from the date the notice of substantiated finding is postmarked. It must describe the finding, explain why it is disputed, identify known Cabinet staff involved and include the notice if available. The Cabinet must assist if the person cannot comply without help.
- The regulation says the Cabinet may not dismiss an untimely appeal when the appellant demonstrates good cause. A hearing is not available for an unsubstantiated finding, a matter already finally decided by a civil court, a matter currently in civil proceedings on the same issue, a matter involving a criminal conviction for the underlying conduct, or a prior final administrative decision on the same issue. A court-related denial must be handled in accordance with the court's finding or changed to a services-needed finding as specified by the rule.
- At the administrative hearing, the Cabinet's final administrative action is generally due within 90 calendar days from the hearing request unless waived. A party may file exceptions to a recommended order within 15 calendar days after it is mailed; judicial review is under KRS 13B.140–.160 or KRS 23A.010.
- Under 922 KAR 1:470, a person whose substantiated incident was upheld on appeal or who waived the appeal is included in the Central Registry. The name generally remains at least seven years and is removed after seven years only if no additional substantiated incident occurred and the case does not fall within specified exclusions, including sexual abuse/exploitation, fatality/near-fatality and involuntary termination of parental rights.
Audit action / remaining hold
Do not confuse the 30-day initial appeal window (postmark date of the notice) with the 90-day deadline for final administrative action after the hearing request, the 15-day exception period after a recommended order, or the seven-year registry minimum. The Cabinet's service complaint process is not a substitute for the formal appeal of an eligible substantiated finding.
Current 922 KAR 1:480 — Appeal of child abuse and neglect investigative findings · Current 922 KAR 1:330 — Child protective services · Current 922 KAR 1:470 — Central registry
Ohio — county agency report-disposition appeal, with locally set timeframes
What the current Ohio rules establish
- Ohio's current administrative code is now organized in Chapter 5180:2 (formerly 5101:2). Rule 5180:2-36-05 requires a public children services agency (PCSA), no later than five business days after completing an assessment/investigation, to notify the alleged perpetrator in writing of the disposition, the right to appeal, and the PCSA's own appeal process, including timeframes and method.
- Rule 5180:2-33-20 requires each PCSA to maintain a written policy for report-disposition appeals by alleged perpetrators. The local policy must specify reasonable timeframes to request the appeal and to conduct the hearing and issue a decision. The statewide rule does not establish one universal 15-, 30- or 45-day deadline for all Ohio counties.
- The appeal hearing must be conducted by personnel who were not involved in the case, including the investigation or approval of the disposition. The hearing personnel must consider the totality of the information, including the case record and material presented by the PCSA and appellant.
- The PCSA must change the disposition if it was made in error, the appellant did not engage in conduct constituting abuse or neglect under R.C. 2151.03 or 2151.031, or the disposition is not supported by the totality of information. The PCSA's appeal decision is final and is not subject to a state hearing under R.C. 5101.35.
- Rule 5180:2-36-05 generally requires the PCSA to complete the report disposition within 60 calendar days after screening in the referral, then notify the alleged perpetrator within five business days. The appeal right is the agency's report-disposition appeal under the county's written policy, not a generic Chapter 119 appeal.
Audit action / remaining hold
Ohio's notice cannot responsibly state a single statewide appeal deadline. The actual county PCSA notice and written local policy must be obtained and read together. Request a copy of the local appeal policy; the statewide rule requires the agency to provide it upon request within three working days. Do not confuse this report-disposition appeal with a juvenile-court appeal or other administrative benefit appeal.
Current Ohio Administrative Code — Chapter 5180:2-33 · Rule 5180:2-33-20 — PCSA appeal policy · Rule 5180:2-36-05 — investigation and disposition
Cross-state findings
- Indiana: the administrative substantiation challenge must be verified from current DCS policy and notice language; this pass does not claim a deadline.
- Kentucky: Central Registry hearing/review and expungement are separate; the operative current regulation and notice triggers remain to be retrieved.
- Ohio: identify the exact decision and legal forum first. Chapter 119 deadlines cannot be assumed to govern every county child-protection action.
- Common rule: a child-protection agency finding, a central-registry entry, a juvenile-court adjudication and a criminal conviction are not interchangeable.
Scope and release decision
This pass is deliberately conservative: it records what could be responsibly established and identifies the missing controlling materials instead of repeating unverified deadline claims. It did not complete a full audit of initial response, interviews, home entry, emergency removal, records access or retention in these states. The state notice PDFs were not edited.
Release decision: HOLD. No state is cleared by this pass. All 50 state notices remain research drafts. No attorney review, legal certification or case-specific legal suitability is claimed.
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