Tag: OKDHS

Upcoming Event: New Director to give Policy & Practice Series lecture on future of DHS

The new director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS), Ed Lake, will speak at the next installment of the Practice and Policy Lecture Series on Monday, February 11th, from noon to 1 pm, at the Oklahoma History Center.… Read more [More...]

Upcoming Event: Does marriage education work?

The OKDHS Practice and Policy Lecture Series hosts Dr. Scott Stanley on December 10th to discuss the results of a long-term study of the effectiveness of marriage education.  Dr. Stanley has been involved in the research, development and refinement of… Read more [More...]

SQ 765: Are voters being asked to do away with DHS?

Are Oklahoma voters being asked to do away with the Department of Human Services in a referendum this November? This was not the intent of legislators in sending State Question 765 to a popular vote, but ambiguities in the legislation… Read more [More...]

What welfare? No safety net for Oklahoma's poorest children

Welfare as most people imagine it doesn’t actually exist anymore.  Public discourse conjures images of lazy people scamming the system and living large off their monthly government check.  It’s a popular, but wildly inaccurate narrative.  Welfare reform in the mid-1990s… Read more [More...]

A step sideways: Bill to drug-test welfare applicants gets a make-over

A bill to clarify drug-screening procedures for TANF applicants has passed both chambers of the legislature and been signed by Governor Fallin.  TANF, or ‘Temporary Assistance for Needy Families,’ is a temporary public benefit that provides cash assistance and other… Read more [More...]

Upcoming Event: The Senior Safety Net in Jeopardy, OKDHS Policy & Practice Lectures

The recession has had a devastating impact on the economic well-being of low income senior citizens, particularly people of color.  The ongoing debate over the future of Social Security and Medicare leaves seniors living near the poverty line with an… Read more [More...]

A Rock and a Hard Place: 'Asset-tests' and Oklahoma's poor

The federal ‘Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations‘ (FDPIR) program provides food assistance to low-income Native American households living in Indian Country.  Many households participate in FDPIR as an alternative to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), formerly the food stamp… Read more [More...]

Upcoming Event: An Improvement Plan for OKDHS Child Welfare Services

The next installment of the Practice and Policy Lecture Series, sponsored in part by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS), will present Oklahoma’s plan to improve child welfare services.  On Friday April 20th, Deborah Smith, Director of OKDHS Children… Read more [More...]

Upcoming Event: "Tell me a Story: The Reality of Oklahoma’s Children of Incarcerated Parents," February 17th

The next installment of the Practice and Policy Lecture Series, sponsored in part by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS), will focus on the children of incarcerated parents.  “Tell me a Story:  The Reality of Oklahoma’s Children of Incarcerated… Read more [More...]

Play It Again: The cliff effect – "Sorry, I can't afford that raise"

Last week, the Department of Human Services announced new co-payment and eligibility rules for the child care subsidy program, which we discussed in this post. By lowering the eligibility threshold for subsidies, the new rules will worsen the “cliff effect”… Read more [More...]