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The Office of Family Support (OFS) in the Department of Social Services (DSS) is the single state agency responsible for the planning, development, implementation and administration of all cash assistance programs
Programs and Services
Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) - Provides assistance to parents to help pay for the child care they need to work or attend school or training.
Disability Determinations Services Program (DDS) - Provides benefits to disabled individuals under Title II (Disability Insurance Benefits) and Title XVI (Supplemental Security Income).
Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) - The electronic method of delivering Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program (FITAP) and Food Stamp benefits to recipients.
Family Independence Temporary Assistance Program (FITAP) - Provides temporary cash assistance to families in need.
Family Independence Work Program (FIND Work) - Assists FITAP recipients with educational, training, and work related activities designed to lead to employment and self-sufficiency.
Food Stamp Program - Provides monthly benefits that help low income households buy the food they need for good health.
Head Start Collaboration Project - Designed to increase effective linkage between Head Start Grantees and State agencies and includes the principle of serving the whole family as the key strategy for improving developmental, social and economic conditions for low-income children.
Kinship Care Subsidy Program (KCSP) - Provides cash assistance for eligible children who reside with qualified relatives other than parents.
Support Enforcement Services (SES) - Places the primary responsibility for support of children on their non-custodial parent(s) in an attempt to reduce the children's dependence on public assistance.
Additional programs administered by OFS are:
- Refugee Cash Assistance
- encourages effective refugee resettlement and promotes economic self-sufficiency through the effective use of cash assistance, medical assistance and support services.
- U.S. Citizen Repatriation - assists U.S. citizens returning from abroad due to illness or poverty. This program provides temporary assistance, including money for medical care, food, clothing and transportation, and is 100% federally funded.
- Individual and Family Grant Program - provides funds to disaster victims to assist them in meeting disaster-related expenses for which assistance from other means is either insufficient or unavailable.
The Office of Family Support, comprised of over 3,500 budgeted classified positions, has nine Regional Offices and 70 Parish Offices throughout the state, 12 Support Enforcement Services Regional Offices, nine Child Care Assistance Regional Offices and three Disability Determinations Services Area Offices
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