Mission Statement

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) assures delivery of a full array of services to address the somatic and behavioral health, economic and housing security, and other emergent needs of Montgomery County residents. To achieve this, the department (directly and/or via a network of community partners) develops and implements policies, procedures, programs, and services that: 1) offer customer-focused direct care and supports; 2) maximize financial and staffing resources to deliver services through effective management, coordination, and pursuit of strategic funding opportunities; 3) pilot and evaluate innovative approaches to service delivery and systems integration; and 4) develop, enhance, and maintain a broad network of community-based organizations, public agencies, and private entities to promote and sustain partnerships which increase the availability of needed services.

Budget Overview

The total recommended FY27 Operating Budget for the Department of Health and Human Services is $576,180,237, an increase of $18,913,060 or 3.39 percent from the FY26 Approved Budget of $557,267,177. Personnel Costs comprise 51.96 percent of the budget for 1,911 full-time position(s) and 311 part-time position(s), and a total of 2,118.54 FTEs. Total FTEs may include seasonal or temporary positions and may also reflect workforce charged to or from other departments or funds. Operating Expenses account for the remaining 48.04 percent of the FY27 budget.

County Priority Outcomes

While this program area supports all eight of the County Result Areas, the following are emphasized:

• An Affordable, Welcoming County for a Lifetime
• Thriving Youth and Families
• A Greener County
• Effective, Sustainable Government
• Safe Neighborhoods

Program Performance Measures

Performance measures for this department are included below (where applicable), with multi-program measures displayed at the front of this section and program-specific measures shown with the relevant program. The FY26 estimates reflect funding based on the FY26 approved budget. The FY27 and FY28 figures are performance targets based on the FY27 recommended budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY28.

Initiatives

• Expands support for the County's Services to End and Prevent Homelessness by providing almost $1.17 million to address an adult shelter budget gap due to increased emergency shelter operational costs and one-time funding that was not sustained. Provides almost $439,000 in funding to fill an outreach budget gap and to expand outreach services to help unhoused individuals successfully seek support and become stably housed. In addition, provides one-time funding of more than $1.96 million for overflow emergency shelter support for families at a reduced level of motel room usage due to $2 million in one-time funding added to the Short-term Housing and Resolution Program (SHARP).
• Provides $2.5 million in additional funding to continue development work on Phase IV of the Community Connect Portal.
• Expands support for the County's Health Care for the Uninsured Program, including increasing the reimbursement rate to 52% of the cost of care ($1.56 million), providing dental equipment and supplies in Montgomery County Public Schools ($50,000), supporting Montgomery Cares endodontic services ($19,000), expanding the East County dental services pilot ($15,000), and expanding Care for Kids specialty dental services ($9,000).
• Provides more than $2.56 million in ongoing funding to continue services in Children, Youth, and Family Services originally funded with Lighthouse. In addition, provides almost $4.6 million in funding to continue the Lighthouse initiative as a three-year grant program.
• Provides more than $800,000 that will convert unfunded long-term contractors with merit staff in the Office of Eligibility and Support Services to support increased activities related to Medicaid eligibility.
• Supports innovations in Behavioral Health and Crisis Services, including opening the Diversion Center Behavioral Health Crisis Stabilization Center (BHCSC) after capital renovations are completed ($3.1 million with partial revenue offset) and deploying a new Mobile Crisis and Outreach Team with existing staff.
• Ensures safe and responsibly managed clinical settings, including the anticipated delegation of authority for the County to perform nursing home inspections beginning in FY27 ($399,000), improving nurse manager staffing ratios in school health settings ($340,000), and bolstering the ability to recruit and retain skilled contractual dentists ($197,000). Maintains compliance with State requirements, including enhancing tobacco retail enforcement capacity ($78,000) and replacing dental program equipment ($75,000).
• Provides $160,000 in funding for two contractors to provide Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) protective service clearances.
• Adds funding for Aging and Disability Services, including enhancing supplement programs for developmental disability service providers ($559,000) and adult medical day care providers ($62,000) and addressing rising costs of Senior Nutrition Program meals ($143,000).
• Replaces funding for services previously funded by grants that have been reduced or eliminated, including funding for HIV services ($362,000), maternal and child health services ($202,000), emergency preparedness response staffing ($186,000), and tuberculosis services ($170,000).

Innovations and Productivity Improvements

• DHHS's enterprise Integrated Case Management (eICM) system currently uses outdated software which poses an unacceptable cybersecurity risk. A competitive contract was awarded in May 2023 to move the application to a new platform and build in updated enhancements. The contractor is now ending the build phase and will shortly begin staff training on eICM 2.0. This eICM Modernization project is expected to begin scattered go-live before the end of FY26 and be fully implemented by October 2026. Once implemented, customer service and continuity of care will improve. The DHHS Information Technology Applications team continues to support the current eICM application as the department looks to retire it in early FY27 following the release of eICM 2.0.
• In FY25 a new Request for Proposals was posted for a new Electronic Health Record contract. Proposals were reviewed at the beginning of FY26 and a new contract was signed in December 2025. Transition planning and system development is occurring and the application is expected to go live in FY27. Once implemented, residents receiving services in Behavioral Health and Public Health will have easier access to their patient records and the ability to pay their balance through the patient portal. Additionally, users will have fewer templates and spoken documentation options for timely, more comprehensive case notes and improved billing practices.

• The DHHS Community Connect Portal works to improve the client experience and increase Case Worker efficiency. It reduces the number of clients that need to physically enter DHHS offices by moving many client transactions to a digital portal. It also allows a client to access the portal 24/7, electronically update their records, track the status of their applications, and easily apply and screen for DHHS services they may be eligible for.

  With completion of Phase II of the project, residents can apply for major County programs, including Working Parents Assistance, County Health Programs such as Montgomery Cares, Care for Kids, Senior Dental, and the Rental Assistance Program.

  In FY26, Phase III focuses on the Provider Portal Module of the platform. This section of the system is aimed at providing a space for improved invoicing and transactional processes relating to customer benefits approved through the County. Both the customer and provider will be able to see the completed transactions from benefit approval to service payments.

  In Phase IV, the product will continue to evolve with a focus on customer needs enhancements as post-launch customer feedback is incorporated into the development of improvements to the complete customer service experience. The department is working with the Department of Technology and Enterprise Business Solutions (TEBS), who will conduct a needs assessment in FY27, to begin to move the platform from a department specific application to a County-wide system available to all County departments in a "one stop" model for the community.

• QLESS is a lobby management system that was implemented in heavily trafficked HHS locations in 2017. The initial implementation focused on only serving some programs at some locations. Based on the success of this system in helping programs manage the lobbies since 2017, the department has been expanding to different locations and programs. The State of Maryland has recently implemented a new version of QLESS for State programs which is now interfacing with the County system to provide enhanced monitoring and customer service across County run State and local programs.