Texas Health and Human Services Commission

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) was created by the legislature in 1991 as an umbrella organization to integrate the strategic planning and budget request processes for the state's major health and human services agencies. The agencies under the commission's umbrella are the Texas Department on Aging, Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Commission for the Blind, Commission for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired, Interagency Council on Early Childhood Intervention, Department of Health, Department of Human Services, Juvenile Probation Commission, Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, and the Rehabilitation Commission. The legislature originally placed the Texas Youth Commission under HHSC but removed it in 1993.

The Health and Human Services Commission has no governing board, and its commissioner holds final authority over the agency's operations. In addition, the commissioner has the authority and responsibility to arbitrate and decide interagency disputes and to enforce state agency compliance with the commission's strategic plan through consolidation of facilities, integrated automation, and coordinated referral and case management. The commissioner can request the transfer of funds from one agency to another and is charged with maximizing federal health and human service funds, including medical assistance funds.