Department of Human Services | Divisions & Offices

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The Department of Human Services consists of eight major divisions, plus the office for a fund run by a commission, an office directed by a Governor's Council, and various administrative offices that handle such areas as quality control, risk management, investigations, information systems, licensing and contracts which span the department.

Major Divisions...

Division of Addiction Services (DAS) - promotes the prevention and treatment of substance abuse and supports the recovery of individuals affected by the chronic disease of addiction. As the single State agency for substance abuse, DAS is responsible for regulating, licensing, monitoring, planning and funding substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery support services in New Jersey.

Commission for the Blind & Visually Impaired (CBVI) - promotes and provides services in the areas of education, employment, independence and eye health. It provides specialized services to persons with vision problems; educates and works in the community to reduce the incidence of vision loss; and works to improve attitudes concerning people with vision loss.

Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DDHH) - DHS' smallest division with only nine employees, advocates for people in NJ who are Deaf or hard of hearing, a number estimated to be as high as 720,000. It assists consumers in numerous ways to gain access to programs, services and information routinely available to others.

Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) - is a large division that serves more than 40,000 people with developmental disabilities including the following conditions: mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism, epilepsy, spina bifida, traumatic brain injuries and certain neurological impairments. Today over 37,000 DDD consumers live in their communities, while the remaining 3,000 live in seven state-run Developmental Centers (DCs).

Division of Disability Services (DDS) - provides information and referral services to people with disabilities and their families, focusing on people who have become disabled as adults, whether through illness or injury. Such conditions are also called late-onset disabilities. DDS also is responsible for overseeing various Medicaid home-and community-based waiver programs that are designed to help people with disabilities live as independently as possible.

Division of Family Development (DFD) - provides leadership and supervision to the public and private agencies that deliver financial aid and support services to individuals and families. Its primary task is to direct the state's welfare program, WorkFirst NJ and Food Stamps - a federally-funded food assistance program for low-income families administered by county and certain municipal welfare departments. DFD provides funding, information management services and administrative support. It also oversees Child Care, Child Support and other assistance programs.

Division of Medical Assistance & Health Services (DMAHS) - administers the state-and federally-funded Medicaid program for certain groups of low- to moderate-income people. Through these programs, DMAHS serves more than 1,000,000 people with a staff of over 500 people who work both in Trenton and in Medical Assistance Customer Centers (MACCs) throughout the state.

Divison of Mental Health Services (DMHS) - serves over 6,500 people who, for some period of time, require intensive inpatient treatment in state psychiatric hospitals and over 270,000 people who are able to live more independently and use services in their own communities. DMHS also supports through direct funding and other means people who require inpatient treatment from the six county-operated psychiatric units/hospitals; and it formally approves the quality of inpatient care provided by Short Term Care Facilities and Children's Crisis Intervention Units in local general hospitals.

DMHS also has a Disaster & Terrorism Branch (DTB), created after the 9-11 attacks, which provides mental health counseling in times of crisis - including natural and/or man-made disasters or terrorism attacks - for those experiencing the disaster as well as for the first responders and communities who help.

"In, but not of..."

Two important units of DHS are "in, but not of DHS..." meaning that while they operate administratively within the department, they are legislatively separate from any departmental entity in the State.

Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund (CICRF) - is run wholly by its CICRF Commission and paid for with the fees gathered from state employers, who contribute $1.50 per employee to the Fund. This means CICRF is not paid for with tax money; and it independently screens and distributes the bulk of these fees to families facing catastrophic medical expenses for their children.

Office for the Prevention of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OPMRDD) - works under the auspices of the Governor's Council for Prevention of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, legislated in 1987. This unit carries out the education and prevention awareness campaigns recommended by the Governor's Council.

Administrative Offices...

These offices fill administrative functions which serve the Department and have names which are self-explanatory.

The Office of Program Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) works collaboratively to strengthen and integrate best and promising practices in the operations of the Department of Human Services. OPIA has direct responsibility for incident investigations, licensing of human services programs and facilities, and ensuring fiscal and program accountability of community programs and departmental units.

Office of Licensing (OOL) - operating under the Office of Program Integrity and Accountability, is the licensing and regulatory authority of the Department of Human Services, regulating programs serving persons with mental illness, developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injuries. Its licensing and regulatory process supports the provision of a safe environment in which consumers receive services appropriately.

Office of Contract Policy and Management (OCPM) - is responsible for managing contracting policies that impact all of the contracting departmental/divisional components in DHS... although each divisional component manages and processes its own contracts. OCPM develops, publicizes, reviews and monitors policies.

Office of Information Systems (OIS)- is responsible for implementing and managing DHS Information Technology (IT) strategy. OIS works toward leveraging common information technologies and a common infrastructure to allow for data sharing and collaboration among the Divisions, the Institutions, other Departments, and our social service extranet partners. This approach provides the dual benefit of making the entire DHS operation more cost-effective while maximizing service access and delivery capability to clients and beneficiaries.