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Agency of Human Services gives broad overview of Medicaid and departmental structure
Summary
Agency of Human Services Secretary Jenny Samuelson and senior staff briefed legislators on the agency’s mission, departmental structure, Medicaid oversight across departments, district offices and coordination priorities, stressing collaboration, transparency and innovation.
For the record, Jenny Samuelson, the secretary for the Agency of Human Services, told legislators on Jan. 29 that the agency’s mission is "to improve the condition and well-being of Vermonters." She presented a high-level orientation to the Agency of Human Services and described how healthcare and human services are intertwined across state programs.
Samuelson opened by saying the agency’s vision is for Vermonters to “have the opportunity to thrive in an inclusive, equitable, and resilient community.” She described the agency as made up of six departments—Public Health; Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living; Vermont Health Access; Mental Health; Corrections; and Children and Families—and said that structure enables specialization while supporting cross‑department collaboration to manage complex, multi‑department cases.
The agency’s secretary’s office houses statewide functions including health care reform, Medicaid oversight, the Blueprint for Health and the health information exchange. "Often people think only of the Department of Vermont Health Access, but our Medicaid program is actually across the majority of the agencies," Samuelson said, noting that Medicaid funds support services in Mental Health, Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living and other departments.
Deputy Secretary Kristin McClure described local delivery: AHS maintains 12 district offices and a set of field services directors who work with communities, municipal leaders and legislators to problem-solve and coordinate services at the local level. "There's one field service director covering two districts," McClure said, noting the field directors' role in convening local partners and addressing system‑level breakdowns.
Monica Ogilby, state Medicaid director, said the Medicaid director role was placed in the secretary's office to provide oversight across where Medicaid dollars and programs live, giving the office greater capacity to align policy and finance across departments. Ogilby described the Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA) as the operations engine for Medicaid functions such as enrollment, claims payment, and quality monitoring.
Samuelson quantified the agency’s size: more than 4,000 employees (including temporary staff) and an overall budget that includes federal funds she described as “over $5,000,000,000,” with a general fund share described in the briefing (figures were presented orally by Samuelson). She emphasized the agency’s core values—transparency, integrity, service and continuous innovation—and pointed to the pandemic as an inflection point that strengthened cross‑agency collaboration.
The presentation included startup contact points for legislators and staff and invited further questions about specific programs, including Medicaid operations and local service coordination.
Less critical details and next steps: staff offered to make introductions between legislators and local field service directors and noted the agency remains available for follow‑up briefings on particular departments or programs.
