Materials do not circulate, but may be used in the State Archives search room. Materials will be retrieved from and returned to storage areas by staff members.
Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted and may be freely used in any way. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).
Minutes of the predecessors of State Board of Public Welfare, 1933-1939, and also minutes of the State Board of Public Welfare, 1939-most of 1963, exist in our holdings only on one 16 mm microfilm reel. Microfilm readers are available in the Lorenzo de Zavala State Archives and Library Building. Ask staff members for exact locations.
The Public Welfare Act of 1939 (Senate Bill 36, 46th Texas Legislature, Regular Session) created the Texas Department of Public Welfare. Previously, the Child Welfare Division of the Board of Control (established in 1931 but not funded until 1935), the Texas Relief Commission (1933-1934, later part of the Board of Control, 1934-1939), and the Old Age Assistance Commission (1936-1939) had performed parts of the new agency's functions. The Department of Public Welfare (DPW) became the Texas Department of Human Resources (DHR) in 1977 (Senate Bill 1325, 65th Legislature, Regular Session), and the Texas Department of Human Services (DHS) in 1985 (Senate Bill 351, 69th Legislature, Regular Session).
The department had the following broad functions. It administered state and federal programs serving low-income families with children, and elderly or disabled persons, including the following: temporary financial assistance for basic family needs; nutritional assistance; access to health care; nursing home and community-based care. It regulated long-term care facilities. It administered programs for survivors of family violence and victims of natural disasters.
More specifically, a variety of programs were administered by DHS over the years, including the following examples.
Financial assistance programs (utilizing both federal and state funding sources) included the following: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which was the final focus for DHS; Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC); Old Age Assistance (OAA); Aid to the Permanently and Totally Disabled (APTD); Aid to the Blind and Disabled (ABD); Food Stamp Program; Commodity Distribution Program; several Refugee Programs (the Office of Immigration and Refugee Affairs was transferred from the Governor's office in 1995); Repatriation of U.S. Citizens Program; Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), and Temporary Emergency Relief Program (TERP) (transferred to the Department of Housing and Community Affairs in September 1992); and Disaster Assistance.
Medical assistance was (or had been) provided through the following: Medicaid, which is financed through a combination of federal and state funding, and is state-administered; purchased health, indigent health, and preventive health services, like Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) (these programs were transferred to the Texas Department of Health in September 1993); and regulation (licensing and certification) of long-term care facilities (transferred from the Department of Health in September 1993).
Social services included the following: Child Care Program, Job Training Work Experience Program, Refocus Pilot Project, Employment and Training Program, and the Work Incentive (WIN) Program (all transferred to the Texas Workforce Commission in June 1996); Child Protective Services (which includes adoption and foster care), Adult Protective Services, and Child-Care Licensing (transferred to the newly-created Department of Protective and Regulatory Services in September 1992); Services for Runaways and At-Risk Youth Program (transferred to Protective and Regulatory Services in September 1993); Child Support Enforcement (transferred to the Attorney General in 1985); and licensing and regulation of nursing home facility administrators (transferred to DHS in 1997 when the Texas Board of Nursing Facility Administrators was abolished).
The governing Board of Human Services (previously called Board of Human Resources and, before that, Board of Public Welfare) was composed of six members (expanded from three members in 1989), appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate, for overlapping six-year terms. Board members were required to possess demonstrated interest in, and knowledge of, human services. The members elected a chair. The board appointed the chief administrative officer, called variously the Executive Director of Public Welfare, the Commissioner of Public Welfare (beginning in 1941), the Commissioner of Human Resources, or the Commissioner of Human Services.
Over the years the administrative structure of the Department had undergone significant and very frequent change. A consistent feature of the Department, however, had been the division of work between the State offices (which developed and coordinated programs) and the regional offices (which actually delivered the services). Texas was eventually divided into 10 DHS regions.
As of April 1999, the Department was organized into eleven offices. Six of them reported directly to the Executive Deputy Commissioner: Deputy Commissioner, Management Information Systems; Deputy Commissioner, Program Integrity; Associate Commissioner, Long Term Care Regulatory; Deputy Commissioner, Regional Operations; Deputy Commissioner, Office of Programs; and Director, Executive Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Project Management. Four offices reported directly to the Commissioner: Chief Financial Officer; Associate Commissioner, Government Relations; Associate Commissioner, Legal Services; and Deputy Commissioner, Support Services. One office, Internal Auditor, reported directly to the Board. The Department employed 15,841.5 full-time equivalent employees in 1999.
House Bill 2292 (78th Legislature, Regular Session, 2003) merged twelve state health and human services agencies into five, officially abolishing the Texas Department on Human Services, and dividing its functions into two state agencies: the newly created Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS), and the already existing Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC).
This legislation consolidated community care and nursing home services programs of the Texas Department of Human Services, mental retardation and state school programs of the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, and aging services programs of the Texas Department on Aging into the new Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services. The new Texas Aging and Disability Services Council held its first meeting in January 2005.
The legislation also consolidated Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) policy, family violence services, refugee services, nutrition programs, and early childhood coordination programs under the already existing Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). Medicaid and CHIP programs were consolidated under HHSC during the 2002-03 biennium. Integration of the remaining programs under HHSC was completed by 2004.
(Sources include: the
The Texas Department of Human Services and its predecessors administered state and federal programs serving low-income families with children, and elderly or disabled persons (including the following: temporary financial assistance for basic family needs; nutritional assistance; access to health care; nursing home and community-based care); it regulated long-term care facilities; and it administered programs for survivors of family violence and victims of natural disasters. These functions are fully documented in these records, which include minutes, agenda, registrations and requests to appear before the board, commissioner's reports, memoranda from the commissioner to board members reporting on each agenda item, operating budgets, strategic plans, transcripts, full presentations, handbooks, resolutions, legal opinions, court documents, legislation, correspondence, and board action reports. The records comprise copies of the official minutes, agenda, and supporting documents of meetings of the Board of Human Services and its predecessors, dating 1933-2004. More specifically, this includes the minutes of the Texas Rehabilitation and Relief Commission, June 1933-August 1933; the Texas Relief Commission, November 1933-September 10, 1934; the Texas Relief Commission Division of the State Board of Control, September 26, 1934-August 1939; the Texas Old Age Assistance Commission, February 1936-August 1939; the minutes and meeting files of the State Board of Public Welfare, September 1939-August 1977; the minutes and agenda of the Texas Board of Human Resources, September 1977-July 1985; and the minutes and agenda of the Texas Board of Human Services, September 1985-2004. The minutes themselves summarize the presentations, discussions and board actions on each agenda item. The topics of these agenda items cover the full range of this agency's policy and practice, especially regarding programs for financial assistance, medical assistance, and social services.
These records are organized by State Archives staff into four series:
(Identify the item and cite the series), Texas Board of Human Services meeting files. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Texas State Archives staff completed an appraisal of the Texas
Department of Human Services records in August 2000. (This appraisal report is
online at
Processed by Tony Black, October 2001, November 2001
Finding aid converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by TARO using the conversion stylesheet v1to02.xsl, July 22, 2003.
Accessions added, agency history updated, corrections and further encoding to DACS standards by Tony Black, August 2008
Accession added (to fill one gap) by Tony Black, January 2009
Accession numbers: 1992/131, 1998/148, 2001/115, 2001/121, 2001/153, 2001/154, 2002/077, 2002/078, 2003/066, 2004/022, 2005/135, 2009/006
These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Legal Division of the Texas Department of Human Services on May 14, 1992; by the Texas Department of Human Services (via the Legislative Reference Library) on June 8, 1998; by the Texas Department of Public Welfare (via the Legislative Reference Library) on April 4, 2001; by the Texas Department of Human Services on March 30, 2001; August 15, 2001; November 13, 2001; October 21, 2002; and September 29, 2003; and by the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services on April 5, 2005; and September 10, 2008.
The State Archives holds both microfilm and paper copies of minutes of the State Board of Public Welfare for meetings dating October 1963-April 1974, and only microfilm copies of minutes prior to October 1963.
The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services now maintains the record copies of minutes and agenda of the Texas Department of Human Services.
The predecessor agencies of the (Texas) State Board of Public Welfare (including the Texas Rehabilitation and Relief Commission, the Texas Relief Commission, the Texas Relief Commission Division of the State Board of Control, and the Texas Old Age Assistance Commission) were created to administer various aspects of financial relief to eligible persons suffering from the effects of the Great Depression. These functions were documented in these records, which include copies of minutes and occasional supporting documentation such as resolutions, reports, and correspondence. They comprise microfilm copies of the official minutes of meetings of the predecessor agencies of the (Texas) State Board of Public Welfare, dating 1933-1939. These predecessors were: Texas Rehabilitation and Relief Commission, June 1933-August 1933; Texas Relief Commission, November 1933-September 10, 1934; Texas Relief Commission Division of the State Board of Control, September 26, 1934-August 1939; and Texas Old Age Assistance Commission, February 1936-August 1939. The reel also contains an index to the minutes of the Texas Relief Commission Division of the State Board of Control, September 26, 1934-August 1939. The minutes summarize the discussions and actions of each commission at their meetings.
These records are arranged by the creating agency by commission, and then chronologically within each commission.
(Identify the item), Predecessors of State Board of Public Welfare minutes, Texas Board of Human Services meeting files. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Accession number: 2001/153
These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Texas Department of Human Services on April 15, 2001.
Materials do not circulate, but may be used in the State Archives search room. Materials will be retrieved from and returned to storage areas by staff members.
Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted and may be freely used in any way. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).
Records of this series, minutes of the predecessors of State Board of Public Welfare, 1933-1939, exist in our holdings only on one 16 mm microfilm reel. Microfilm readers are available in the Lorenzo de Zavala State Archives and Library Building. Ask staff members for exact locations.
Tony Black, November 2001
Corrections and further encoding to DACS standards by Tony Black, August 2008
The Texas State Board of Public Welfare was created in the last years of the Great Depression to administer state and federal programs serving low-income families with children, and elderly or disabled persons (including financial assistance, medical assistance, and social services programs). These functions are documented in these records, which include copies of minutes, agenda, memoranda from the commissioner to board members reporting on agenda items, other commissioner's reports to the board, registrations and requests to appear before the board, contracts, agreements, proposals, full presentations, handbooks, correspondence, resolutions, legal opinions, court documents (such as briefs and opinions), task force reports, legislation (both state and federal), and Title XX Comprehensive Annual Services Program Plans. They comprise copies of the official minutes, agenda, and supporting documents of meetings of the (Texas) State Board of Public Welfare, dating 1939-1977. The microfilm copies of minutes dating September 1939-April 1974, and the bound copies of minutes dating October 1963-April 1974, contain no agenda, and only occasional supporting documents. The loose (unbound) meeting files dating February 1970 and August 1971-August 1977 usually contain agenda and supporting documentation, but often contain no minutes. The minutes themselves summarize the presentations, discussions and board actions on each agenda item. The topics of these agenda items cover financial assistance, medical assistance, and social services programs, as well as legal matters, legislative issues, planning, organizational changes, budget, personnel--in short, the full range of the policies and practices of the (Texas) State Department of Public Welfare, which was the immediate predecessor to the Texas Department of Human Resources.
These records are arranged by State Archives staff into two groups: minutes, agenda, and supporting documents (filed chronologically); followed by meeting files (also filed chronologically).
(Identify the item), State Board of Public Welfare minutes and meeting files, Texas Board of Human Services meeting files. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Accession numbers: 1992/131, 2001/121, 2001/153
These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Legal Division of the Texas Department of Human Services on May 14, 1992; by the Texas Department of Public Welfare (via the Legislative Reference Library) on April 4, 2001; and by the Texas Department of Human Services on April 15, 2001.
Materials do not circulate, but may be used in the State Archives search room. Materials will be retrieved from and returned to storage areas by staff members.
Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted and may be freely used in any way. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).
Minutes of the State Board of Public Welfare, 1939-most of 1963, exist in our holdings only on one 16 mm microfilm reel. Microfilm readers are available in the Lorenzo de Zavala State Archives and Library Building. Ask staff members for exact locations.
Tony Black, November 2001
Corrections and further encoding to DACS standards by Tony Black, August 2008
The Texas Department of Human Resources administered state and federal programs serving low-income families with children, and elderly or disabled persons (including the following: temporary financial assistance for basic family needs; nutritional assistance; access to health care; nursing home and community-based care); it regulated long-term care facilities; and it administered programs for survivors of family violence and victims of natural disasters. These functions are fully documented in these records, which include copies of minutes, agenda, registrations and requests to appear before the board, memoranda from the commissioner to board members reporting on each agenda item, full presentations, transcripts, proposed budgets, operating plans, manuals and handbooks, correspondence, executive letters from the commissioner, resolutions, legal opinions, task force reports, and board action reports. They comprise copies of the official minutes, agenda, and supporting documents of meetings of the Texas Board of Human Resources, dating 1977-1985. The minutes themselves summarize the presentations, discussions and board actions on each agenda item. The topics of these agenda items cover financial assistance, medical assistance, and social services programs, as well as rule making, legal matters, legislative issues, strategic planning, organizational changes, budget, personnel--in short, the full range of the policies and practices of the Texas Department of Human Resources, which was the immediate predecessor to the Texas Department of Human Services. The change in 1985 was purely a name change; the only significant change in the agency's functions in that year was the transfer of Child Support Enforcement to the Attorney General.
These records are arranged by State Archives staff chronologically.
(Identify the item), Board of Human Resources minutes and agenda, Texas Board of Human Services meeting files. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Accession number: 1998/148
These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Texas Department of Human Resources (via the Legislative Reference Library) on June 8, 1998.
Materials do not circulate, but may be used in the State Archives search room. Materials will be retrieved from and returned to storage areas by staff members.
Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted and may be freely used in any way. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).
None.
Tony Black, October 2001
Corrections and further encoding to DACS standards by Tony Black, August 2008
The Texas Department of Human Services administered state and federal programs serving low-income families with children, and elderly or disabled persons (including the following: temporary financial assistance for basic family needs; nutritional assistance; access to health care; nursing home and community-based care); it regulated long-term care facilities; and it administered programs for survivors of family violence and victims of natural disasters. These functions are fully documented in these records, which include copies of minutes, agenda, registrations and requests to appear before the board, memoranda from the commissioner to board members reporting on each agenda item, assorted attachments (such as proposed budgets, operating plans/strategic plans, manuals, executive reports, correspondence, testimony, etc.), and board action reports. They comprise copies of the official minutes, agenda, and supporting documents of meetings of the Texas Board of Human Services, dating 1985-2004. The minutes themselves summarize the presentations, discussions and board actions on each agenda item. Memoranda from the commissioner to board members reporting on each agenda item often include sections on background, issues, alternatives, organizational responsibility, advisory committee and interest group involvement, community impact statement, fiscal impact, Management Information Services (MIS) impact, implementation schedule, and recommendation. The topics of these agenda items cover financial assistance, medical assistance, and social services programs, as well as rule making, legal matters, legislative issues, strategic planning, organizational changes, budget, personnel--in short, the full range of the policies and practices of the Texas Department of Human Services.
These records are arranged by State Archives staff chronologically.
(Identify the item), Board of Human Services minutes and agenda, Texas Board of Human Services meeting files. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Accession numbers: 1998/148, 2001/115, 2001/154, 2002/077, 2002/078, 2003/066, 2004/022, 2005/135, 2009/006
These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Texas Department of Human Services (via the Legislative Reference Library) on June 8, 1998; and by the Texas Department of Human Services on March 30, 2001; August 15, 2001; November 13, 2001; October 21, 2002; and September 29, 2003; and by the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services on April 5, 2005; and September 10, 2008.
Materials do not circulate, but may be used in the State Archives search room. Materials will be retrieved from and returned to storage areas by staff members.
Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted and may be freely used in any way. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).
None.
Tony Black, November 2001
Accessions added, corrections and further encoding to DACS standards by Tony Black, August 2008
Accession added (to fill one gap) by Tony Black, January 2009