HEW

EW Secretary Joseph Califano, Jr. has announced a major reorganization of the Office of Human Development, now renamed the Office of Human Development Services. It is the fourth major step taken by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare fulfilling President Carter's campaign promise to restructure Federal departments as part of his efforts to create a more efficient government organization.

In announcing the change, the Secretary said, "Through the Office of Human Development Services, we directly touch some of the most vulnerable people we serve the old, the handicapped, children, and Native Americans. In the past, the organization of this office, with 24 fragmented bureaus and administrations reporting to the Assistant Secretary, has hindered rather than helped our ability to serve these people."

Under the reorganization, the number of program and staff units reporting directly to the Assistant Secretary for Human Development, Arabella Martinez, has been reduced. to nine. Other major changes include the departmental reorganiza

tion announced on Mar. 8, the reorganization of the Office of Education on Apr. 11, and reorganization of the Department's Regional Offices announced July 19.

In commenting on the need for the reorganization, Assistant Secretary Arabella Martinez noted that as services have proliferated under different auspices and have been financed from various sources, the difficulties of coordinating the delivery of services, of identifying gaps and overlaps, and ensuring access to services by individuals in need have become major problems. "In fact," she said, "the disorganized way in which services are provided is itself a serious social problem. A major cause of this problem has been the disarray at the Federal level."

Secretary Califano took the initial step in reducing the overlap of human development service programs when he announced a major HEW reorganization in in March, which placed most of the human development and social service programs in the Office of Human Development.

The second reorganization involving the Office of Human Develop

ment Services (OHDS)-an administrative action taken under existing statutory authority-is effective immediately. The reorganization will consolidate 18 program offices and six staff offices into five program administrations and four major staff offices.

The new Administration for Handicapped Individuals will create a single organization for handicapped persons. Currently, the Office of Human Development administers 13 programs for the handicapped through six separate offices. These programs are funded at approximately $1 billion and have a combined staff of over 460 in both Headquarters and Regional Offices.

The Administration for Handicapped Individuals will have responsibility for all OHDS activities targeted toward handicapped persons. Current organizations included in the Administration are the Rehabilitation Services Administration, the Developmental Disabilities Office, the Office of Handicapped Individuals, the President's Committee on Mental Retardation, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance

Board, and the White House conference on Handicapped Individuals.

The new Administration for Children, Youth, and Families will essentially expand the Office of Child Development by combining it with the Office of Youth Development and the Title IV-B Child Welfare Services Program currently under the Public Services Administration. To ensure that the focus on youth development is retained, responsibility for the runaway youth program and other youth activities will be given to the new Youth Development Bureau. The Child Welfare Services Program will be reunited with the Children's Bureau.

The newly created Administration for Native Americans will have responsibility for all OHD programs targeted toward Eskimos, American Indians, and Native Hawaiians. The Office of Native American Programs, which administers grant programs for tribal and urban Indians and Alaskan communities, will be consolidated with the Native Hawaiians program, now administered within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Human Development, and the Intra-Departmental Council on InIdian Affairs. The Council was established in 1975 with representation from all HEW program and staff components for the purpose of coordinating programs and policy related to Indian concerns across the Department.

The Administration for Public Services will combine the Work Incentive (WIN) child care and support services program with the Public Services Administration, which administers the Title XX social services program. The Title XX program provides funds for a variety of supportive services, including day care, homemaker, foster care, and legal

services.

The Administration on Aging, which administers all programs for the aging within OHDS, will remain. as currently constituted.

The new Office of State and Community Affairs will provide leadership and policy direction in the areas of intergovernmental relations, community affairs, regional operations, and public information. In close cooperation with the Deputy Under Secretary for Intergovernmental Relations, this unit will provide technical assistance to States and local organizations in improving human service delivery systems. The Office will also advocate on behalf of citizen participation, rural development, volunteer development, veteran affairs, and other vulnerable populations not directly represented within the Department.

The newly formed Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation is designed to be the principal staff unit responsible for program planning, legislation, research, evaluation, program policy analysis and program system development for the Office of Human Development Services.

The new Office of Policy and Management Control will provide leadership and direction in the establishment of review and control systems within OHDS, conduct regular and unplanned analytic studies, and advise the Assistant Secretary on special organization and management problems. The Office will work closely in these areas with the Secretary's Office of the Inspector General, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Management and Budget, and the Executive Secretariat.

The Office of Administration and Management will remain largely unchanged.

The Regional Office structure will

also be streamlined and strengthened consistent with Secretary Califano's actions to reform the HEW Regional Offices. The new OHDS Regional structure will be headed by a Regional Administrator for Human Development Services who reports directly to the Assistant Secretary. The position of Assistant Regional Director for Human Development will be abolished.

A high-level task force has been appointed to plan and implement the transition of the new organization. The task force, chaired by Deputy Assistant Secretary Frank Newgent, will work closely with both Headquarters and Regional program staff, members of Congress and their staffs, relevant constituent organizations and employee unions. It is anticipated that the transition will be completed by Jan. 1, 1978.

Gerald Bloedow
Elected President of
State Units Association

Gerald A. Bloedow was elected president of the National Association of State Units on Aging (NASUA) at the association's annual meeting in Washington, D.C. He will serve a two-year term.

Mr. Bloedow, 47, is executive secretary of the Minnesota Governor's Citizens Council on Aging, a post he has held since 1966. He has been associated with the Council on Aging since 1959.

The National Association of State Units on Aging, which represents every State and U.S. territory, serves as an information and advocacy channel between State agencies on aging and the Federal government and Congress to improve programs and services for older persons.