Minnesota Department of Human Services

The Minnesota Department of Human Services is an organization of individuals with a commitment to bettering the lives of Minnesotans. While DHS employees perform different jobs and duties, such as research-analyses, direct Caregiving, program administration, fraud prevention, licensing oversight, plant management and human resources, we share a belief that when Minnesotans help other Minnesotans, we create a brighter future for all of us. 

Our largest financial responsibility is to provide health care coverage for low-income Minnesotans. We are also responsible for securing economic assistance for struggling families, providing food support, overseeing child protection and child welfare services, enforcing child support, and providing services for people with mental illness, chemical dependency, or physical or developmental disabilities. 

Through our licensing services, we ensure that certain minimum standards of care are met in private and public settings for children and vulnerable adults. DHS also provides direct service through our regional offices for the deaf and hard of hearing; through State Operated Services (SOS), which provides direct care to people with disabilities; and through the Minnesota Sex Offender Program.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services  serves Minnesotans in all 87 counties and 11 tribes. More than one million Minnesotans receive some sort of help from our department.