Ellen Brown

The meeting featured an administrative report which included a presentation by the Deputy Commissioner of Finance regarding the Amended Fiscal Year 2026 and Fiscal Year 2027 Budget. Following the presentation, the Board unanimously approved and adopted the Amended Fiscal Year 2026 and Fiscal Year 2027 Budget.

The meeting agenda included agency reports from the Office of Family Independence, Office of Child Welfare, Division of Aging Services, and Division of Child Support Services. Administrative reports covered an easement in Cherokee County and a proposed rule change for the Division of Child Support Services. Key board business involved votes on the proposed Cherokee County Easement and the proposed DCSS Rule Change.

The meeting focused on the Amended Fiscal Year 2026 and Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Requests for the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS). Discussions included guidance from the Governor's Office of Planning & Budget (OPB) regarding budget submission requirements, such as aligning requests with current appropriations and preparing contingency plans for state funds holdback. The session detailed workload adjustments, including increased funding to reflect the change in federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) administrative reimbursement rate from 50% to 75%. The session also covered state fund redistributions to align expenditures for the Commercial Sexual Exploitation Recovery Center (CSERC) between the Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Fund Commission and the Out-of-Home Care program, as well as the transfer of funds for community action teams between Out-of-Home Care and Child Welfare Services programs. The overall DHS recommended budget for FY 2026 was presented as $1,099,765,384, and for FY 2027 as $1,146,574,974.

The meeting included presentations from various departments and offices. Key presentations were delivered by the Office of Family Independence, the Child Welfare division (including Well-being and Chafee Services), the Division of Aging Services, and the Division of Child Support Services. The meeting concluded shortly after approving the minutes from the previous meetings held in July and September 2025.

The meeting covered several key areas of the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS). Discussions included an update on the Georgia Gateway Community Partners, detailing their structure, success metrics, and partner criteria. Significant time was dedicated to DFCS Services and Resources for Transition-Age Youth, focusing on the Independent Living Program, Chafee Program (GA/RYSE), and Extended Foster Care, including transition planning processes. Furthermore, there was a presentation from the Division of Aging Services regarding the UNG Respite Study and preliminary results on voucher respite programs. The Division of Child Support Services presented an overview of the Georgia Employer Hub (GE Hub), its history, goals, statistics, and the advantages of the Electronic Income Withholding Order (e-IWO) process.