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Human Services division highlights child welfare gains, early childhood work and integrated eligibility system
Summary
Jessica Thomason, Human Services Division director, briefed the committee on the division's portfolio including children and family services, developmental disabilities, adult and aging services, vocational rehabilitation, child care investments, integrated eligibility and human service zone operations.
Jessica Thomason, director of the Human Services Division, told the committee the division acts as a hub for services that stabilize families and prevent crisis across the state.
Nut graf: The Human Services Division manages a large pass-through budget and many programs that touch families daily. Thomason emphasized reductions in foster care populations, investments in child care to support workforce stability, the integrated eligibility system and the role of human service zones.
Major program highlights - Division size and reach: Just over 1,000 state employees plus more than 900 human service zone employees; the division passes roughly $2 billion annually in its budget to providers and individuals (Thomason said more than 92% of division dollars flow to direct services or private providers). - Child welfare: Thomason reported the lowest number of children in foster care in more than a decade, zero children in out-of-state care at present, and higher kinship care and reunification rates. - Early childhood and child care: The division reported implementation of House Bill 1540 child care investments, including growth in infant/toddler spaces, increases in quality-rated programs and employer match (Working Parent Childcare Relief). Thomason said most one-time appropriations will be expended by end of the biennium except for automation of criminal background checks and remaining employer-match dollars. - Integrated eligibility: The State's single application system (sometimes called SPACES) allows households to apply for Medicaid, childcare assistance, home energy assistance, food assistance and TANF with one unified application; Thomason said roughly 160,000 applications are processed annually. - Human service zones vs centers: Thomason clarified that human service zones (formerly county social services) fall under the Human Services Division while the human service centers (behavioral health clinics) fall under Behavioral Health.
Specialized services and settlements Thomason noted the Department is implementing a Department of Justice settlement from December 2020 related to home- and community-based services and said the state is meeting required benchmarks.
Ending Thomason said the division will provide section-level data and requested materials (including DOJ settlement reports) on request, and the committee scheduled follow-up division hearings.
