CHFS Agencies

The Cabinet for Health and Family Services consists of several agencies with various functions from internal administration to programs and direct services.

The agency links on the left of the screen will direct you to specific Cabinet areas as they are organizationally structured or browse the links below for information about agency functions.

Office of the Secretary

Program Agencies

• Department for Aging and Independent Living - Provides services to help older Kentuckians and their families through a statewide network of local, private and public agencies.
• Commission for Children with Special Health Care Needs - Plans, develops, provides and evaluates the public system of care for children with special health care needs. Serves children with physical disabilities from birth to age 21 through on-site and off-site clinics, therapies and related services.
• Department for Community Based Services - Administers child protection and permananecy and family support programs including adoption, child abuse, child care, child support, food stamps and foster care.
• Department for Family Resource Centers and Volunteer Services - Includes Division of Family Resource and Youth Services Centers and Kentucky Commission on Community Volunteerism and Service. 
• Office of Health Policy - The Office of Health Policy was created to ensure that health planning and policy research and development occurs in a coordinated, timely, efficient, and cost-effective manner.
• Department for Income Support - Consists of Disability Determinations Services and Child Support Enforcement.
• Department for Medicaid Services - Purchases quality healthcare and related services that produce positive outcomes for persons eligible for programs administered by the department.
• Department for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Addiction Services - Provides quality information, services and support for individuals with needs related to mental health and mental retardation and their families.
• Department for Public Health - Develops and operates all public health programs and activities for the citizens of Kentucky including health service programs for the prevention, detection, care and treatment of physical disabilities, illness and disease.  Find information fast about DPH programs at Find it Fast.

Program Support Agencies

• Office of Administrative and Technology Services
• Office of Health Policy - Ensures efficient and cost-effective health planning and policy research. The office includes Certificate of Need and Health Policy Development.
• Office of Communications and Administrative Review - Administers Cabinet media and public relations functions and administrative review.
• Office of Human Resource Management - Administers internal personnel programs including payroll, EEO investigations, disciplinary procedures, ADA compliance, oversight of the Limited English Proficiency program, exit interviews, satisfaction surveys and hiring new employees.
• Office of Inspector General - Regulates health care and child care facilities statewide and also performs audits and investigations related to abuse of CHFS related programs.
• Office of Legal Services - Provides legal advice and assistance to all units of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
• Office of Ombudsman - Serves as an information and communication resource, an advisor and dispute resolution office.
• Office of Policy and Budget - Supports the Office of the Secretary and coordinates with various Cabinet agencies in areas involving budgets, contracts, policies and regulations.

Divisions

• Administrative Hearings - Health Services Branch and the Family Support Branch. Holds hearings on appeals of administrative actions by or concerning the Department for Medicaid Services, Department for Public Health, Mental Health and Mental Retardation, Office of Inspector General and Office of Administrative Services, or as requested by the secretary of the Cabinet. Also holds hearings and makes decisions regarding certificate of need applications.
• Child Care - Administers the Child Care Assistance Program to help Kentucky low-income families find and afford quality child care. The division also provides information regarding professional development opportunities for day care staff and other child care professionals.
• Child Support - The state IV-D agency responsible for administering the child support program, which includes providing location services, establishing paternity and child support, enforcing support orders, establishing and enforcing medical support and collecting and distributing  support payments.
• Disability Determination Services - Makes disability determinations on behalf of the commissioner of Social Security for residents of Kentucky.
• Family Resource and Youth Services Centers - The Division of FRYSC provides administrative support, technical assistance and training to help academically at-risk students and their families.
• Family Support - The Division of Family Support is responsible for administering several programs including food stamps, K-TAP (Kentucky Temporary Assistance), Simplified Assistance for the Elderly (SAFE) and Medicaid programs. The division also deals with welfare administration claims.
• Prevention Violence Resources - Works to raise awareness of the domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault and create ways to enhance criminal justice and human service response to the needs of victims of these crimes.
• Protection and Permanency -  The Division of Protection and Permanency provides consultative services and technical assistance to Cabinet service regions regarding issues of child and adult protection, guardianship and permanency for children.
• Women's Physical and Mental Health -  The state's clearinghouse for data and information on women's health issues. Site maintains a women's health resource center and routinely conducts outreach and education on numerous women's health topics.

Advisory Commissions, Councils and Boards

• Blue Ribbon Panel on Adoption - Reviews the processes and practices that lead to legal termination of parental rights and adoption of children in Kentucky’s child welfare system
• Institutional Review Board - The CHFS Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects protects clients and employees of CHFS involved in research as subjects. Research proposals involving CHFS clients or employees as subjects or information or data about CHFS clients or employees must be reviewed and approved by the IRB.
• Kentucky Commission on Community Volunteerism and Service - Supports volunteerism and service through grants, awards and special initiatives. Administers the state AmeriCorps program, Volunteer Insurance program, Governor's Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service and other initiatives.
• Kentucky Council on Developmental Disabilities - Works to create change through visionary leadership and advocacy so that people have choices and control over their own lives.
• Kentucky e-Health Network Board - Created to help develop a secure statewide electronic network through which patients, physicians and other health care providers can access and transfer medical information.