|
Jennifer Velez, Commissioner of the New
Jersey Department of Human Services, has
responsibility for an operating budget
for the Department of over $9 billion
and a staff of over 16,000 employees.
This is the largest Department in state
government consisting of eight divisions
and operating seven major facilities for
people with developmental disabilities,
five psychiatric hospitals and a
facility for blind and visually impaired
people.
The Department is dedicated to serving
and protecting more than one million of
New Jersey’s most vulnerable residents.
That includes people with low incomes,
mental illness, developmental
disabilities, physical disabilities,
blindness or visual impairment, and
deafness or hearing loss. The Department
also provides child care for low income
parents, oversees the child support
program and administers health care
programs for more than one million
low-income, aged and disabled people.
From January 2006 until being named
Commissioner, she served as Deputy
Commissioner for Family and Community
Services. In this capacity, she managed
the Department of Human Services’
Divisions of Medical Assistance and
Health Services and Family Development
as well as the Offices of Early Care and
Education and Prevention of Mental
Retardation and Developmental
Disabilities.
Commissioner Velez served as the First
Assistant Child Advocate in the
newly-created Office of the Child
Advocate from its inception in September
2003. As First Assistant Child Advocate,
Jennifer led the Office’s investigations
into the child welfare system’s care for
four chronically malnourished former
foster children, and was responsible for
the Office’s work in the area of
juvenile justice reforms.
Commissioner Velez served three
Governors in the Office of Governor's
Counsel from 1998 to 2003. In this
capacity, she was primarily responsible
for advising each on legislation and
regulations affecting the Department of
Human Services. As such, Commissioner
performed a significant role in the
architecture of several laws that have
directly impacted the health and welfare
of New Jersey's children, including the
Homeless Youth Act, the Safe Haven
Infant Protection Act, FamilyCare, the
creation of a Kinship Legal Guardianship
status, New Jersey's implementation of
the Adoption and Safe Families Act and
the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Commissioner Velez was in private
practice at the law firm of Pitney,
Hardin, Kipp & Szuch in Florham Park,
New Jersey, before entering public
service. She received her law degree
from Rutgers School of Law in Newark,
New Jersey, and her undergraduate degree
in Economics from Drew University.
|
Services
