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Updated video link: People in Oregon can now manage state benefits with the Oregon ONE Mobile app - 12/08/23

Updates an earlier version with new Oregon ONE Mobile app video link 

(Salem) – People can now securely manage their medical, food, cash and child care benefits through the State of Oregon from the convenience of their mobile devices using the new Oregon ONE Mobile app. People first will need to apply for benefits online, in person at a local office or over the phone. 

The app is available for free in the Apple and Android app stores. It is an official State of Oregon app created by the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS). The app’s development was partially funded by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

“At ODHS we are committed to meeting people in Oregon where they are with as many ways as possible to manage their benefits, check application status and share needed documentation, like when they get a request for information during a renewal,” said Nathan Singer (he/him), director of the ODHS Oregon Eligibility Partnership. “People can now manage their benefits in-person, by mail, by fax, by telephone, online and on their mobile phone using the Oregon ONE Mobile app, which is available in English and Spanish.” 

Interview with OEP Director Singer available on YouTube

Oregon ONE Mobile app video on YouTube

New Oregon ONE Mobile app video link 

  • Create a ONE Online account.
  • Access their existing ONE Online account.
  • Report changes to household information including address, contact information and income.
  • Upload requested documents using a smartphone camera.
  • Get updates on application status and check if it is approved, denied, or pending, and what actions might need to be taken.
  • See and download notices that were mailed.
  • Find the next renewal date for their benefits.
  • Get important, time-sensitive alerts and notifications about benefits on mobile devices.
  • View benefit issuance history for food and cash payments.

People who serve as Authorized Representatives for people with benefits are also able to use the app.

How to manage your medical, food, cash and child care benefits: 

  • By phone at: 1-800-699-9075. All relay calls accepted.
  • Online at: benefits.oregon.gov
  • Through the free Oregon ONE Mobile app available on Apple and Android app stores
  • In person at an office near you: Find an office.
  • In your language: Help in Your Language
  • By mail at: ONE Customer Service Center, PO Box 14015, Salem, OR 97309
  • By fax at: 503-378-5628

Resources to help meet basic needs

About the Oregon Department of Human Services

The mission of the Oregon Department of Human Services is to help Oregonians in their own communities achieve well-being and independence through opportunities that protect, empower, respect choice and preserve dignity.

About the Oregon Eligibility Partnership

The Oregon Eligibility Partnership (OEP) is part of the Oregon Department of Human Services. OEP supports state staff who determine eligibility for people applying for and receiving medical, food, cash and child care benefits. It also manages the ONE Eligibility System used to process applications and deliver benefits to eligible individuals and families in Oregon. One in three people in Oregon receive benefits through the ONE Eligibility System. OEP administers the ONE Eligibility system in partnership with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC).###

Jerrica_Landin_2.jpg
Jerrica_Landin_2.jpg
Missing child alert -- Jerrica Landin is still missing and is believed to be in danger (Photo) - 12/07/23

(Salem) – The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Child Welfare Division, asks the public to help find Jerrica Landin, age 17, a child in foster care who went missing from Portland, Oregon on Aug. 21. She is believed to be in danger.

ODHS asks the public for help in the effort to find Jerrica and to contact 911 or local law enforcement if they believe they see her.

Jerrica may be in Portland or Eugene in Oregon. She may also be in Washington in Vancouver, Seattle or the Tri Cities. 

Name: Jerrica Landin
Pronouns: She/her
Date of birth: Oct. 24, 2006
Height: 5-foot-6
Weight: 130 pounds
Hair: Reddish brown
Eye color: Brown
Other identifying information: Jerrica has a tattoo of a heart on her neck below her right ear. She often dyes her hair red, pink and purple. 
Portland Police Bureau Case #23-803125
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children #1489518

Sometimes when a child is missing, they may be in significant danger and ODHS may need to locate them to assess and support their safety. As ODHS works to do everything it can to find these missing children and assess their safety, media alerts will be issued in some circumstances when it is determined necessary. Sometimes, in these situations, a child may go missing repeatedly, resulting in more than one media alert for the same child.

Report child abuse to the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline by calling 1-855-503-SAFE (7233).  This toll-free number allows you to report abuse of any child or adult to the Oregon Department of Human Services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year. 

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Attached Media Files: Jerrica_Landin_2.jpg
Vocational Rehabilitation invites public comment for proposed changes to rules for youth services - 12/01/23

The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program is seeking community partner comment on changes to its administrative rules regarding youth services and rate setting for these services. The public may testify at public hearings scheduled in January or submit written comments from Dec. 1, 2023 to Jan. 31, 2024. 

VR seeks input on proposed changes to youth services, provided in Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) 582 Division 150: Transition Services and Coordination for Students and Youth with Disabilities. All input will be reviewed, and the proposed rules may be modified.

Public Hearings 

Public hearings will be held virtually in January 2023. 

January 10, 2024, 10 to 11 a.m. 

Join ZoomGov Meeting: http://bit.ly/46yrvGg

Meeting ID: 161 755 2659

Passcode: 185803

January 15, 2024, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Join ZoomGov Meeting https://bit.ly/3T3rs1W

Meeting ID: 160 818 1559

Passcode: 330517

January 19, 2024, noon to 1 p.m.

Join ZoomGov Meeting https://bit.ly/3GlKKs3

Meeting ID: 161 449 7621

Passcode: 274647

To receive notice of future public hearings, subscribe to receive email updates from Vocational Rehabilitation. 

Accessibility

CART and an ASL interpreter will be available at the hearings.

You can request accommodation in other languages, large print, braille, or any other format you prefer to submit public comment or attend a public hearing. Contact Robin Brandt at 503-507-5226 or by email at VR.Policy@odhs.oregon.gov. We accept calls from all forms of relay service for people who are deaf, deaf-blind, hard of hearing or have a speech disability. Please let us know of any accommodations at least a week in advance. We will do our best to accommodate all requests.

Proposed amendments

  • Describe the rate setting for contracted services provided to students and youth with disabilities.
  • Strengthen language committing to statewide pre-employment transition services for all students with disabilities.
  • Clarify services for students with disabilities who are potentially eligible.
  • Explain services available for youth and students with disabilities eligible for general vocational rehabilitation services provided in an individualized plan for employment.
  • Clarify transition services to groups of students with disabilities and youth with disabilities who may not have yet applied for vocational rehabilitation services.
  • Describe VR required information and records required for students to participate in pre-employment transition services.
  • Explain the set aside of federal funds to benefit students and youth with disabilities, its purpose and how services are documented.
  • Move definitions to this Division that are specific to youth services. New terms for youth vocational rehabilitation services are added.
  • Clarify the rule contents generally, review grammar and expand the use of plain language.
  • Review and update legal references and names of forms and organizations, as needed.

The proposed rules will be posted on the Vocational Rehabilitation rule making website.

Written comments can be sent to Oregon Vocational Rehabilitation, 500 Summer Street NE E-87, Salem, Oregon 97301-1120 or VR.Policy@odhs.oregon.gov.

Updates to OAR 582 align with requirements of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), enacted July 22, 2014, (Public Law No. 113-128) and with state and federal requirements.

Questions? Contact Robin Brandt at robin.l.brandt@odhs.oregon.gov or 503-507-5226.

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About Vocational Rehabilitation: Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) assists individuals with disabilities to get and keep a job or advance in their career that matches their skills, interests and abilities. VR staff work in partnership with the community and businesses to provide services that are individualized to help each eligible person receive services that are essential to their employment success

Adoption Excellence Awardees Brian and Josie Parker with children
Adoption Excellence Awardees Brian and Josie Parker with children
ODHS congratulates Oregon adoption advocates for Children's Bureau Adoption Excellence Award (Photo) - 11/17/23

(Salem) – The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) congratulates adoptive parents and foster care advocates Brian and Josie Parker who received the national Adoption Excellence Award for family contributions. The Children’s Bureau at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) awards recognize individuals, families and organizations who have demonstrated excellence in making contributions to providing permanent homes for children formerly in foster care.

The Parkers have been resource and adoptive parents with ODHS Child Welfare since 2007. Resource parents provide foster care as well as other supports to children and biological families.

They have also written, illustrated and self-published more than 20 books reflecting their experiences. Their books, many of which focus on stories about children in foster care, include children who identify as LGBTQIA2S+ and youth who have experienced trauma. Their books are included in the Oregon Post Adoption Resource Center library and provide support for children in Child Welfare offices across the state.

“It is gratifying to see the Parkers who have helped so many children and families receive this national recognition,” said Child Welfare Director Aprille-Flint Gerner. “The Parkers bring awareness to the critical role of people of color in adoption from foster care, contributing to the local community with positive messages about adoptive families. Their books help families process their challenging circumstances and represent kids of color experiencing foster care and adoption.”

ODHS recognized the Parkers in 2018 with a Certificate of Recognition Award for their commitment to children.

After receiving the award, the Parkers provided a statement:
“We hope that our lives have served to make fostering and adoption more visible and to de-stigmatize the lives of foster/adoptive kiddos and families. People deserve to see that the fostering process can be a supportive, healing, and redemptive journey. We have made this a focus in not only our lives, but also in the books we create."


The Children’s Bureau acknowledged the Parkers' contribution to the community through their family-owned book design and publishing company, Believe in Wonder.

The Adoption Excellence awards are presented each year in Washington, D.C. during National Adoption Month. The Parkers were among eight awardees honored at an event led by ACF Acting Assistant Secretary Jeff Hild, and Children’s Bureau Associate Commissioner Aysha E. Schomburg.


Resources:
Children’s Bureau Adoption Excellence Award news release


To learn more about how to support children in foster care visit:
https://www.oregon.gov/odhs/foster-care/Pages/default.aspx#parent


About the Oregon Department of Human Services
The mission of ODHS is to help Oregonians in their own communities achieve well-being and independence through opportunities that protect, empower, respect choice and preserve dignity.


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How to get help with state medical, food, cash, and child care benefits and avoid potentially high call wait times at the ONE Customer Service Center - 11/14/23

(Salem) – With the end of the COVID-19 federal public health emergency, the state is required to review eligibility for all 1.5 million Oregonians who have Oregon Health Plan (OHP) and other Medicaid benefits. These medical renewals combined with the unprecedented levels of people applying for and receiving medical, food, cash, and child care benefits, have led to a historically high number of callers to the ONE Customer Service Center and is impacting call wait times. 

The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) is encouraging people in Oregon to use new alternate contact options given high call wait times at the ONE Customer Service Center. The ONE Customer Service Center provides phone support to people in Oregon calling to apply for or get help with their medical, food, cash, and child care benefits.

ODHS anticipates that wait times will remain high during open enrollment season for Medicare and the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace. While people can apply for OHP any time of year, both open enrollment events increase awareness of and interest in applying for OHP. 

“We know that many people in Oregon depend on us when they have questions about their medical, food, cash and child care benefits,” said Nathan Singer (he/him) director of the Oregon Eligibility Partnership at ODHS which manages the ONE Customer Service Center. “We are doing everything we can to provide the best customer service possible on our phones and in our offices. We encourage people to create or use their ONE Online account, the Oregon ONE Mobile app or online chat bot when possible.”

OHP members are encouraged to respond as quickly as possible after they receive a request for information to avoid any possible delays. The fastest way members can provide an update is by going to benefits.oregon.gov and creating or logging into their ONE Online account. People can also create an ONE Online account and upload documents through the Oregon ONE Mobile app. 

The ONE Customer Service Center can be reached by phone at 1-800-699-9075, Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call wait times are lowest in the morning between 7 and 8 a.m., especially on Tuesday mornings. 

People are welcome to visit or call their local ODHS office with questions, find an office near you here

The Aging and Disability Resource Connection of Oregon is also available to provide support at 1-855-673-2372 or in-person, find a local office at  www.adrcoforegon.org.

There are many other ways people can get support and information about their medical, food, cash, and child care benefits:

  • Online at: benefits.oregon.gov
  • Through the free Oregon ONE Mobile app available on Apple and Android app stores
  • Visiting or calling an office near you: Find an office.
  • Older adults and people with disabilities can get help through Aging and Disability Resource Connection of Oregon at 1-855-673-2372 or www.adrcoforegon.org.
  • In your language: Help in Your Language
  • By mail at: ONE Customer Service Center, PO Box 14015, Salem, OR 97309
  • By fax at: 503-378-5628

People also can seek free help with their medical benefits from a community partner. Find a community partner near you.

ODHS is committed to providing the best customer service and doing everything it can to support people who need help with their benefits in as timely way as possible, including:

  • Creating an incident management team that is committed to ensuring we provide the best customer service possible by:
    • Making as many staff as possible available to support people in Oregon who are contacting the ONE Customer Service Center for help with their benefits.
    • Prioritizing any agency work like hiring, budget, training, or data analysis, that supports the ONE Customer Service Center.
    • Ensuring workers have the best and latest information they need to support people contacting the ONE Customer Service Center.
    • Bringing ODHS leaders together to problem solve and create short-, medium- and long-term solutions to meet our customer service goals.
  • Launching Oregon ONE Mobile, an app in English and Spanish that allows people to manage benefits, respond to inquiries and get notifications. This free app is available on Apple and Android app stores.
  • Adding a call back option to the ONE Customer Service Center, for some types of calls, so people don’t have to stay on hold when wait times are long.
  • Sending text message reminders for critical matters such as appointments and key deadlines. People are now 1.25 times more likely to attend appointments and 1.7 times more likely to renew their cases on time since this was put in place.
  • Adding a chat bot service assistant for people applying for or managing their benefits online.
  • Emailing and texting people whose mail was returned to ask them to update their addresses so they can get important information about their benefits.
  • Redesigning and adding a Spanish version of the benefits.oregon.gov website where people go to find information about applying for and managing their benefits.
  • Adding 200 contracted staff to temporarily increase capacity in the ONE Customer Service Center.
  • Making renewal notices easier to understand.

ODHS is committed to transparency. Dashboards with the latest wait times, customer service scores and medical renewal information are available online here.

About the Oregon Department of Human Services

The mission of ODHS is to help Oregonians in their own communities achieve wellbeing and independence through opportunities that protect, empower, respect choice and preserve dignity. 

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Community partners are invited to comment on changes to Vocational Rehabilitation youth services and rate setting rules - 11/14/23

The Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program is seeking community partners to help shape rules affecting how it delivers services to youth with disabilities. Staff from programs that provide contracted services to youth and young adults are invited to apply to be a volunteer on its Rule Advisory Committee (RAC).

The committee is set to meet Nov. 27 from 2:30 to 4 p.m. to review the draft rules regarding youth services and rates VR pays contractors to deliver these services. To participate, submit an electronic application by 5 p.m. Nov. 20. 

The committee is tasked with reviewing and commenting on proposed changes to youth services, provided in Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) 582 Division 150: Transition Services and Coordination for Students and Youth with Disabilities. VR staff will review all input and may modify the proposed rules before seeking public input in December 2023 and January 2024.

Information about serving on the VR Rules Advisory Committee

The VR Rules Advisory Committee gives feedback and recommendations on administrative rules that govern vocational rehabilitation services. Committee members discuss:

  • Are the rules clear and understandable?
  • What impact will the rules have on Vocational Rehabilitation clients?
  • Rule impact on business, particularly small businesses.
  • Rule impact on racial equity.

Information about how to apply is on the VR Rules and Regulations page. See the news release for more information about the role and responsibility of RAC members.

Questions? Contact Robin Brandt at robin.l.brandt@odhs.oregon.gov or 503-507-5226.

Public hearings

Following the RAC committee review, the public will have a chance to review the proposed rule changes and provide comment. Public hearings are anticipated to be held virtually in January 2023. VR will announce when it  posts the draft rules for public review.

To receive notice of future public hearings, subscribe to receive email updates from Vocational Rehabilitation.

Accommodation requests 

You can request accommodation in other languages, large print, braille, or any other format you prefer to submit public comment or attend a public hearing. Contact Robin Brandt at 503-507-5226 or by email at VR.Policy@odhsoha.oregon.gov. We accept calls from all forms of relay service for people who are Deaf, Deaf-Blind, Hard of Hearing or have a speech disability. Please let us know of any accommodations at least a week in advance. We will do our best to accommodate all requests.

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About Vocational Rehabilitation: Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) assists individuals with disabilities to get and keep a job or advance in their career that matches their skills, interests and abilities. VR staff work in partnership with the community and businesses to provide services that are individualized to help each eligible person receive services that are essential to their employment success.

UPDATE - Oregon Department of Human Services announces that Jayva "Ava" Highley has been found - 11/13/23

(Salem) – The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Child Welfare Division, is thankful for the community support to find Jayva “Ava” Highley. 

Jayva “Ava” Highley, age 15, is a child who went missing from McMinnville on Oct. 18. She was found Nov. 11.

Sometimes when a child is missing they may be in significant danger and ODHS may need to locate them to assess and support their safety. As ODHS works to do everything it can to find these missing children and assess their safety, media alerts will be issued in some circumstances when it is determined necessary. Sometimes, in these situations, a child may go missing repeatedly, resulting in more than one media alert for the same child.

Report child abuse to the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline by calling 1-855-503-SAFE (7233).  This toll-free number allows you to report abuse of any child or adult to the Oregon Department of Human Services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year. 

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